Simplistic

How to spell simplistic

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce simplistic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does simplistic mean?

1. adjectiveTreating a complex problem or situation as far simpler than it really is, usually in a way that is misleading.

Simplistic in a sentence

• The report offered a simplistic view of a deeply complicated economy.

• Blaming one manager for the whole failure is far too simplistic.

Where does simplistic come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is a relatively modern English coinage, formed in the early nineteenth century by attaching the adjective ending -istic to the word 'simple'. 'Simple' itself reaches back to the Latin simplex, meaning 'single' or 'plain', literally something folded just once, from the roots sem- 'one' and the element plic- 'to fold', the same plic- that survives in 'complicated' and 'duplicate'. While 'simple' is a neutral and often positive word, 'simplistic' was built to carry a critical edge, describing an explanation or approach that treats something complicated as if it were far easier than it really is. The -istic ending lends it a faintly disapproving, analytical tone, much as it does in 'mechanistic' or 'fatalistic'. A common spelling trap is that there is no 'e' before -istic: the 'e' of 'simple' is dropped, leaving simpl- joined straight to the suffix.

How the word is built

• simpl- (from Latin simplex: simple, single-fold)
• -istic (adjective suffix, combining -ist and -ic)