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as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily don't be so quick to characterize people who have trouble with computers as simple

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective simple contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of simple are easy, effortless, facile, light, and smooth. While all these words mean "not demanding effort or involving difficulty," simple stresses ease in understanding or dealing with because complication is absent.

a simple problem in arithmetic

When could easy be used to replace simple?

The meanings of easy and simple largely overlap; however, easy is applicable either to persons or things imposing tasks or to activity required by such tasks.

an easy college course

In what contexts can effortless take the place of simple?

While the synonyms effortless and simple are close in meaning, effortless stresses the appearance of ease and usually implies the prior attainment of artistry or expertness.

moving with effortless grace

How are the words facile and easy related as synonyms of simple?

Facile often adds to easy the connotation of undue haste or shallowness.

facile answers to complex questions

When is light a more appropriate choice than simple?

Although the words light and simple have much in common, light stresses freedom from what is burdensome.

a light teaching load

When is it sensible to use smooth instead of simple?

The synonyms smooth and simple are sometimes interchangeable, but smooth stresses the absence or removal of all difficulties, hardships, or obstacles.

a smooth ride

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 simple Give a jeans and T-shirt look a polished finish with a simple black belt and gold buckle, or lean into seasonal hues like a chocolate brown belt paired with a dress. Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025 Better Homes & Gardens Ezra Coffee Table Available in light honey and walnut shades, this simple yet sleek coffee table is a stylish focal point in any living room. Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Oct. 2025 There is no simple, fast way to counteract caffeine. Carley Millhone, Health, 4 Oct. 2025 Also in Willcox, Olive’s Vineyard Café offers bistro fare — sandwiches and pizzas — in a simple and elegant building. Richard Ruelas, AZCentral.com, 4 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for simple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for simple
Adjective
  • Music industry machinations are mostly to blame; a higher supply of albums means more sales, which translates into chart performance and popularity and plain old checks to cash.
    Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The locker rooms and antechambers behind the scenes are drab and plain.
    Richard Lawson, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • That leaves Wednesday’s release of minutes from the Federal Reserve’s last policy meeting as the main economic report to watch in the coming week as the central bank is self-funded and unaffected by the shutdown.
    Danny Bakst, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2025
  • While federal workers are not being paid and most offices are not offering services, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits are unaffected.
    David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But Russell’s performance was a beam of pure light, burning off any condescension.
    Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
  • And while the Picoult engages a tougher subject (a school shooting and its fallout), the other three titles in this crop are pure romantasy.
    Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But finding a good financial advisor isn't easy.
    Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,Kelli Grant, CFP®, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The 44-year-old driver led the race for an impressive 159 laps, and a win seemed like an easy thing to achieve.
    Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Jane’s voice shifts from that of a naïve girl to that of a capable young woman as Laser traces her path out of the wilderness.
    AudioFile Magazine September 30, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
  • His hesitation has been seen publicly as naïve and risky, eroding faith in the monarchy.
    Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • So what will our ignorant commissioner do with the information?
    Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 28 Sep. 2025
  • But criticism quickly began to pile in on Chinese social media, where users denounced the advertising stunt as ignorant of the potential environmental impacts in a remote and pristine ecosystem.
    Chris Lau, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • So many of Black Rabbit’s subplots are confusing, boring, or dumb.
    Andrew Bernard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Luis Jauregui, a professor at UC Irvine, is an expert in quantum physics who is smart enough to describe his work in terms that are foreign to a non-scientist, yet affable enough to explain it anyway, without making any non-scientist feel dumb.
    Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The votes of the parties that did not make it into parliament will be divided proportionately, meaning PAS will end up with several seats more than a bare majority of 51.
    John E. Herbst, Time, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Place the cuff around your bare upper arm (not over the sleeve), and support the arm on a surface at the level of your heart.
    Angela Ryan Lee, Health, 4 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Simple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/simple. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on simple

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