1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

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
  • Much like Dear Donna at day, the menu aims for simplicity and brevity, approachability and warm sentimentality.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026
  • There’s a charmingly old-school simplicity to the proceedings.
    — Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of simplicity
Noun
  • MILKist introduced the original recipe, but the women helped test thicknesses, drying methods, natural-color applications and other changes based on how each sheet would be used.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Try to remove about half the thickness of the previous grout.
    — Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of thickness
Noun
  • The young actors are appealing, led by Lilah Pate and Chabley Ponce; there’s a sweetness and naturalness to their cameraderie that stands out amid so much mugging and gives the film a lift.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Acted with breathtaking ensemble naturalness, the play seems lived in rather than performed.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of naturalness
Noun
  • This will mean increased overhead and slowness in deployment but will require sourcing leaders to shift their focus from efficiency to aligning AI to risk mitigation in end-to-end supply chain networks.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The slowness certainly hasn’t been for a lack of effort from either side this summer.
    — Pierre LeBrun, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of slowness
Noun
  • When Arisa proclaims herself a Faithful, Michael looks hilariously stunned, and Alan tells them to weep for the fall of innocence and the failure of justice.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Minutes later, Weinstein apologized while underscoring his claims of innocence.
    — MICHAEL R. SISAK, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 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
  • For Chowdhury, the sincerity of that belief is almost beside the point.
    — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Spectacle doesn’t usually win acting trophies, and neither does sincerity in service of a franchise.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of sincerity
Noun
  • Even when used on its own, bleach is incredibly harsh and can strip your floors’ finish, leaving it vulnerable to damage, discoloration, and dullness over time.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2026
  • This wrapping mask is formulated with quintessential K-beauty ingredients like milk protein, collagen, and niacinamide, plus glutathione, a powerhouse ingredient my skin loves for preventing environmental damage, discoloration, and overall dullness.
    — Essence Wiley, InStyle, 24 Sep. 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 29 Sep. 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 argot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

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 the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All