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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 The simplest explanation is that Liam Coen, last season’s offensive coordinator, favored a ball-control passing attack coupled with a strong running game. John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2025 To fully take in the sun, the Hustlers actress stripped down to a simple black bikini. Colson Thayer, People.com, 4 Aug. 2025 Make a simple burger sauce by mixing tomato paste and balsamic vinegar, and spread it on the bread or bun. Merve Ceylan, Health, 4 Aug. 2025 Much of their advocacy is focused on pushing for the simplest way to address social-media addiction in kids: making American schools into phone-free environments. Charlotte Alter, Time, 4 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for simple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for simple
Adjective
  • Between stress, shame, emotional disconnection, the current state of the world being challenging, and just plain exhaustion, desire can come and go.
    Dominique Fluker, Essence, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Even the band’s look — blue denim, plain T-shirts, collegiate banners — was faded.
    Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Whether that direction is Mizrahi’s choice or Pascal’s own preference is hard to say, but the consistency—and the timing—suggests a deliberate effort to keep Pascal’s public image unaffected as award season approaches.
    Brett F. Braley-Palko, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
  • And even as major stock indexes continue to churn higher to near-records, analysts say the gains are increasingly driven by an ever-narrower band of companies, like tech firms, that are largely unaffected by the tariffs.
    Steve Kopack, NBC news, 23 July 2025
Adjective
  • Stripped of glamour, his dissolution produces a kind of glamour of its own: that of pure addiction, the allure of never saying no.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
  • Li Auto's first pure electric sport utility vehicle, the Li i8, comes in three variations, priced between 321,800 and 369,800 yuan ($44,700 and $51,400).
    Victoria Yeo, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Ohio State receivers making things look easy Shocker here: Jeremiah Smith is still really good at football.
    Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 31 July 2025
  • Garcia is an easy piece to move because he's blocked by a lot of talent at the big league level.
    Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025
Adjective
  • The oldest boy of 11 children was determined to succeed, but not naive.
    Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025
  • As naive as that may sound in a world where so many self-evident rights and wrongs are being routinely, dishonestly evaluated and reevaluated, the series elevates simple truths in ways that are downright inspirational.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Yet Americans are surprisingly ignorant about our past.
    John C. Goodman, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
  • Residents are far from ignorant of Michigan’s law on train blockages.
    Ayah Imran, Freep.com, 18 July 2025
Adjective
  • Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.
    Daniel Jackson, Allure, 18 July 2017
  • Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.
    Andy Benoit, The MMQB, 10 July 2017
Adjective
  • Once the penthouse was stripped bare, Baimakhan started on custom interiors for a young local family with three school-age children.
    Rachel Gallaher, Robb Report, 2 Aug. 2025
  • By opting for a pointed almond shape with her dark feminine makeup and brows, the bare nail trend doesn’t feel so squeaky clean.
    Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 1 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Simple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/simple. Accessed 13 Aug. 2025.

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