Simplify Meaning
/ˈsɪmplɪfaɪ/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo make simpler, either by reducing in complexity, reducing to component parts, or making easier to understand.
verbTo become simpler.
Sentence Examples
Strive to simplify everything.
Simplify your life. Take advice from native speakers.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
None
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
To make the instructions easier for children, the teacher decided to ____ them.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
You should try to ____ your explanation so that younger children can understand it.
Word Origin & History
From the French simplifier, equivalent to simple + -ify.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In ancient times there existed in the region of the Tung-chia River 佟佳江 in present Liaoning a people called Kao-chü-li 高句驪. In the fifth century they moved their capital to P’ing-jang. The name of the country was simplified to Kao-li 高麗 (Korea)."
— 1949, Karl August Wittfogel, Fêng Chia-Shêng, “Translation: Tribes”, in History of Chinese Society Liao (907–1125), American Philosophical Society, →OCLC, page 104:
"Quizzed on simplifying fares, Heaton-Harris said the Government had inherited a "mix of ticketing and unbelievable, interesting fares up and down the system, and we do want to simplify them"."
— 2021 October 6, “Network News: Lords hear fares and ticketing are key areas for improvement”, in RAIL, number 941, page 22:
"Thus, throughout the nineteenth century, linguists generally held that more grammatically complex languages were older and that languages tended to simplify over time—the four grammatical cases of German as contrasted with the seven of Latin, for example."
— 2006, Karen Oslund, “Reading Backwards: Language Politics and Cultural Identity in Nineteenth-Century Scandinavia”, in David L. Hoyt, Karen Oslund, editors, The Study of Language and the Politics of Community in Global Context, Lexington Books, →ISBN, page 126:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
To make the instructions easier for children, the teacher decided to ____ them.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
You should try to ____ your explanation so that younger children can understand it.