simplistic

adjective

sim·​plis·​tic sim-ˈpli-stik 

: excessively simple or simplified : treating a problem or subject with false simplicity by omitting or ignoring complicating factors or details

adequate, if occasionally simplistic, historical background

—Harlow Robinson

The simplistic headlines of the press can be very misleading.

—Matt Ridley

Choosing wars as demarcations of cultural time segments may seem simplistic, but there is little question that a new sensibility made its appearance in the United States after World War II.

—Naomi Rosenblum

simplistically

sim-ˈpli-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

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

a simplistic approach to a complicated problem

His interpretation of the theory was too simplistic.

Recent Examples on the Web

The group's critics scoffed at his simplistic vision, but others became enamored with it. —Janelle Ash, Fox News, 20 Jan. 2025

No doubt Wilcox learned a great deal from Penrose, and loosened up, but Penrose learned so much more about the simplistic nature of progressive thought on the typical college campus. —John Tamny, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025

If that sounds both too simplistic and still inexplicable, much more goes into creating the rare state of mind that somehow is both uncluttered and brimming with peak intensity — and often able to execute the unfathomable. —Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2025

Unfortunately, many of the initial reactions were either bombastic or simplistic. —U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

simplistic

adjective

sim·​plis·​tic sim-ˈplis-tik 

1

: simple sense 8

2

: characterized by too much simplicity : not involving or dealing with related complexities

a simplistic explanation of the situation

simplistically

-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb