simplistic
adjective
Harlow RobinsonMatt RidleyNaomi Rosenblum
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The facts of nature and of life are more apt to be complex than simple. Simplistic theories are generally one-sided and partial, wrote the American clergyman James Freeman Clarke in the 19th century, nicely illustrating the difference between plain, ordinary simple and the then-new adjective simplistic. Simplistic is generally synonymous with oversimplified, but we didn't have the verb oversimplify and its participle oversimplified until well into the 20th century. Simplistic is sometimes used in the neutral sense of "not complicated" (in which case it is synonymous with simple) but this borders on misuse-simplistic is generally understood to be pejorative.
Examples of simplistic in a Sentence
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2025
In contrast to the simplistic popular debate on whether Russia or NATO started it, the answer is both.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
By shifting your perspective from one of simplistic self-expression to intentional role performance, authenticity becomes a sophisticated and powerful leadership tool.
—Harrison Monarth, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Any attempt to put the football game itself into the binary ping-pong of our current politics was equally simplistic or self-serving.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Simplistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/simplistic. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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simplistic
adjective
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