Did you know?
Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word
simple
- definition
What are red words?
90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.
Thesaurus
The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.
more
/ˈsɪmp(ə)l/ 
| adjective | simple |
| comparative | simpler |
| superlative | simplest |
- 1easy to understand, solve, or do
Students were given a simple skills test.
The book tries to give simple explanations of some very complex scientific ideas.
It’s a good idea, but implementing it won’t be as simple as you think.
simple to do:The machine is fairly simple to operate.
(not) that simple:All you have to do is press the button. It’s that simple.
Collocations: simple
▪ apparently, comparatively, deceptively, extremely, fairly, relatively, very - 2plain and without decoration
Sally likes clothes that are simple but elegant.
Ben used to live in a simple cabin in the woods.
a simple meal
phrases
- She was famed for her plain speaking.
- Every effort is made to write official documents in plain English.
- He was plain-spoken almost to the point of rudeness.
- Her prose is lucid and unadorned.
- I want you to give me the unvarnished truth.
- It says here in black and white that if you don’t have a job you can’t get a visa.
- With each retelling, Matt added more embellishments to his story.
- Fancy writing is often used to obscure the truth.
- Everyone embroiders the truth to some extent.
- Her colourful account of her life proved a huge success.
- They glossed over all the difficult questions.
This is the British English definition of simple. View American English definition of simple.
Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.
vocal fry
a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence
BuzzWord ArticleWord of the Day
glottal stop
a sound made by stopping air as it passes through your throat. In some varieties of spoken...
Open Dictionary
conflict mineral
a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons
add a wordMore submissions
view entriesBlog
A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.
global English and language change from our blog