simpleness

noun

Definition of simplenessnext
1
as in simplicity
the quality or state of being simple and sincere the simpleness of the villagers was so disarming that she temporarily abandoned her natural cynicism

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in thickness
the quality or state of lacking intelligence or quickness of mind his sweetness was more important to them than his simpleness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in naïveté
readiness to believe the claims of others without sufficient evidence there's a good-hearted simpleness about her that makes her easy prey for scams

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of simpleness The simpleness of the look really allowed the Crocs to stand out and make an impression. — Tara Larson, Footwear News, 14 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for simpleness
  1. simplicity
  2. thickness
  3. naturalness
  4. slowness
  5. innocence
  6. stupidness
  7. sincerity
  8. dullness
Noun
  • The simplicity of the fire and forget mechanism allows its operators to launch large drone swarms to carry out coordinated attacks.
    — Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Protect Responsive Performance Responsive performance is a usability principle teams should not sacrifice for visual simplicity.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of simplicity
Noun
  • Sheriff Byron Roberson said deputies deployed 10 Taser probes, but some were ineffective, potentially because of the thickness of Lunceford’s construction clothing.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Go back over the line one more time at the end with firmer pressure to create more thickness or make the line darker if desired.
    — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of thickness
Noun
  • Inside the wilderness, a big part of it is to return naturalness, right?
    — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 29 July 2026
  • By the middle of the nineteenth century, the seriousness and stability of their suits suggested a new naturalness for their authority that came to seem both right and inevitable.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026
Definition of naturalness
Noun
  • The common thread is control, texture, and slowness, all qualities Gen Z associates with a world that existed before smartphones, gig work, and platform algorithms flattened daily life into something frictionless and disorienting.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Those are some of the striking examples of observational register, one that uses tactical distance, sound, slowness and associative montage to convey pain without resorting to the evidentiary shock of graphic imagery.
    — Sonya Vseliubska, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of slowness
Noun
  • The vibe is very Woodstock-era, got-to-get-back-to-the-garden innocence, a sentiment that has the filmmaker, now in his mid-seventies, nodding in agreement.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Aug. 2026
  • According to Day, Manson maintained his innocence in the 1969 murders of nine individuals up until his death.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of innocence
Noun
  • In an email to Krebs, Valadon claimed that the repo’s commit logs show that GitHub’s default protections against committing secrets—protections designed to protect unwitting or unskilled developers against exactly this kind of stupidness—had been disabled by the repo’s administrator.
    — Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 19 May 2026
Definition of stupidness
Noun
  • Toeing the line between sincerity and tongue-in-cheek humor, Edelman claims to have developed an obsession with contemporary Christian music after Smith invited him to a concert.
    — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • His sincerity, the fearlessness of trying—very hard and very publicly—is success in itself.
    — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of sincerity
Noun
  • Mistakes to Avoid When Cleaning Laminate Floors Laminate is a delicate flooring material that is vulnerable to scratching and dullness if it’s not cleaned properly.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 31 July 2026
  • Using the wrong product can cause etching or dullness that’s difficult to reverse.
    — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 31 July 2026
Definition of dullness

Browse Nearby Words

simplemindedness
simpleness
simpleton
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Simpleness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/simpleness. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All