/ ˈsɪmpl; NAmE / adjective
( sim·pler , sim·plest )
HELP NOTE : You can also use more simple and most simple .
EASY
1.
not complicated; easy to understand or do
SYN easy :
a simple solution
The answer is really quite simple.
This machine is very simple to use.
We lost because we played badly. It's as simple as that .
Give the necessary information but keep it simple .
BASIC / PLAIN
2.
basic or plain without anything extra or unnecessary :
simple but elegant clothes
We had a simple meal of soup and bread.
The accommodation is simple but spacious.
OPP fancy
FOR EMPHASIS
3.
used before a noun to emphasize that it is exactly that and nothing else :
Nobody wanted to believe the simple truth.
It was a matter of simple survival.
It's nothing to worry about—just a simple headache.
I had to do it for the simple reason that (= because) I couldn't trust anyone else.
➡ note at plain
WITH FEW PARTS
4.
[ usually before noun ] consisting of only a few parts; not complicated in structure :
simple forms of life, for example amoebas
a simple machine
( grammar )
a simple sentence (= one with only one verb)
ORDINARY
5.
[ only before noun ] ( of a person ) ordinary; not special :
I'm a simple country girl.
NOT INTELLIGENT
6.
[ not usually before noun ] ( of a person ) not very intelligent; not mentally normal :
He's not mad—just a little simple.
GRAMMAR
7.
used to describe the present or past tense of a verb that is formed without using an auxiliary verb, as in She loves him (= the simple present tense) or He arrived late (= the simple past tense)
—see also simply
•
IDIOMS
see pure
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French , from Latin simplus .