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English (UK)
Cambridge Dictionary Online

Meaning of simple in English

simple
adjective
uk
/ˈsɪm.pəl/ us
/ˈsɪm.pəl/

simple adjective (EASY)

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A2
easy to understand or do; not difficult:
The instructions were written in simple English.
It's simple to find our house.
I want an explanation, but keep/make it simple.
Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples
easy
  • easyI can tell you how to do that - it's easy!
  • simpleThe recipe is so simple - you just mix all the ingredients together.
  • straightforwardIt seems like a fairly straightforward assignment.
  • a piece of cakeMy last exam was a piece of cake.
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More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Easiness and simplicity
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simple adjective (IMPORTANT)

B2 [ before noun ]
used to describe the one important fact, truth, etc.:
We didn't go swimming for the simple reason that the water was too cold.
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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Importance - general words
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simple adjective (PLAIN)

B1
without decoration; plain:
I like simple food better than fancy dishes.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Plain and ordinary
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simple adjective (ONE PART)

B1 [ before noun ]
having or made of only one or a few parts:
A hammer is a simple tool.
Simple forms of life have only one cell.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Crude and basic
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simple adjective (NATURAL)

usually approving
ordinary; traditional or natural rather than modern and complicated:
He was just a simple fisherman.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Easiness and simplicity
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simple adjective (FOOLISH)

old-fashioned
A simple person does not have a normal level of intelligence:
He was simple, but harmless.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Naive & trusting
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(Definition of simple from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

simple | American Dictionary

simple
adjective
us
/ˈsɪm·pəl/

simple adjective (PLAIN)

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[ -er/-est only ]
without unnecessary or extra things or decorations; plain:
a simple black dress
It’s a simple Boston lettuce salad.

simple adjective (EASY)

[ -er/-est only ]
easy to understand or do; not difficult or complicated:
The recipe is very simple.
There’s a simple solution if you don’t like what’s on TV – change the channel.

simple adjective (CONSIDERED ALONE)

[ not gradable ]
without considering or including anything else:
The simple fact is the fee is high because the rights are valuable.

simple adjective (COMMON)

[ -er/-est only ]
common or ordinary:
I’ve got simple tastes, and I’m too old and cranky to change.

simple adjective (FOOLISH)

[ -er/-est only ] dated
foolish; easily deceived:
He’s a very simple young man.
(Definition of simple from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of simple

simple
Several different gaits have been researched from different legged animals to determine the simplest technique to maneuver the hexapod mobile robot.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
I make the simplest assumption that capitalists/entrepreneurs set the real wage and, thereby, workers' labor intensity.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Consider, for example, the simplest classical version of the optimization of consumption.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
In the simplest form of the evaluation problem, there are two possible choices: agents may receive a treatment or not.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The simplest and perhaps most important form of predictability is linear predictability, as measured by sample autocorrelations.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
There exist a rather large family of such dimensions, but we limit ourselves here to the simplest example.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Not all rehabilitation is team-based, but a single individual can rarely meet any but the simplest functional needs without the advice and support of others.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
On the simplest level the work can be described as a series of six variations on this material.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
I think their essence is simpler than she does, and that what she says about nonsubordination well captures it.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
In addition, an even simpler change is presented, which prevents multiple copying in a very common case.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Since this is actually simpler than the case of functional logic languages, we only sketch it here briefly.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
An active object, in its simplest form, pairs an object with a thread.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
In our example, the simplest way is to use logic variables as explicit triggers.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The mechanical design and implementation of chain robots are generally simpler than in the other categories, which also translates into lower cost.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
In the simplest case, we are interested in chromaticity changes of light sources (dealing with intensity changes in a separate analysis).
From the Cambridge English Corpus
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These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
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Translations of simple

in Chinese (Traditional)
容易的, 簡單的，容易的, 重要的…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
容易的, 简单的，容易的, 重要的…
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in Spanish
sencillo, único, simple [masculine-feminine…
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in Portuguese
fácil, simples…
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सोपा, स्पष्ट, सरळ - महत्त्वाचे सत्य सांगण्यासाठी वापरला जाणारा शब्द…
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簡単な, 単純な, 唯一の…
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basit, kolay, yalın…
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simple, pur et simple, naïf…
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senzill, simple, pur…
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eenvoudig, zuiver, argeloos…
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புரிந்து கொள்ள அல்லது செய்ய எளிதானது, கடினம் அல்ல, ஒரு முக்கியமான உண்மை…
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(समझने या करने में) आसान, सरल, स्पष्ट…
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સાદું, સરળ, સ્પષ્ટ…
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let, enkel, enkle…
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enkel, anspråkslös, ren…
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mudah, sederhana, sebenarnya…
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einfach, schlicht, rein…
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enkel, lett, ukomplisert…
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آسان, سہل, سیدھا…
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простий, нескладний, примітивний…
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సులువైన, ఒక ముఖ్యమైన వాస్తవం, నిజం మొదలైనవాటిని వివరించడానికి వాడే…
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বুঝতে পারা বা করা সহজ, কঠিন নয়, সহজ…
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lehký, jednoduchý, prostý…
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mudah, sederhana, bersahaja…
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ง่าย, ไม่ซับซ้อน, เรียบ ๆ…
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đơn giản, dễ hiểu, không rắc rối…
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prosty, łatwy, czysty…
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간단한, 단순한, 순전한…
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semplice, ingenuo, sciocco…
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UK
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US
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someone who is very energetic, determined to be successful, and able to deal with new or difficult situations easily

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