simplysim‧ply /ˈsɪmpli/ ●●● S1 W1 adverb 
This work is simply not good enough. He simply won’t accept the committee’s decision. That would be simply wonderful! It is quite simply the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard.2only SYN just: Some students lose marks simply because they don’t read the question properly. It’s not simply a question of money. What we need is not simply a smaller organization, but a more efficient one.3used to emphasize how easy it is to do something: Simply fill in the coupon and take it to your local store.4if you say or explain something simply, you say it in a way that is easy for people to understand: Try to express yourself more simply. To put it simply, the tax cuts mean the average person will be about 3% better off.5if you live simply, you live in a plain and ordinary way, without spending much money: We had to live very simply on my father’s small salary.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- It's not simply a matter of hiring more people - they also need to be trained.
- She writes very simply and clearly.
- The strain on the rope was simply too much, and it broke in two.
- They live very simply in the country.
- We simply don't have the resources to compete with large corporations.
- Already, many programs are simply unavailable in the older, 16-bit versions.
- But the rotational periods are correspondingly long and for all states are quite simply related to the rotational constants of the molecules.
- Mexicali Mayor Victor Hermosillo staunchly defended his police officers, saying they simply were maintaining public order.
- Most of them simply release their eggs and sperm and rely on the surrounding water to bring them together.
- Rome, in short, lived on its past simply by being a capital city.
- Suppose that we are simply given an algorithm which generates the digits of the real and imaginary part of some complex number.
Longman Language Activatorstronger expressions meaning not
use this to emphasize that something is definitely not true: · She's not at all happy about the situation.· The children didn't seem to be at all frightened.· No, no, no, that's wrong. That's not what I meant at all.
formal use this when you want to say strongly that something is not true: · It is by no means certain that you'll get your money back.· It's difficult, but by no means impossible.· It's not clear by any means where the money is going to come from to fund this project.
also not a bit especially British use this to say strongly that something is not true, especially when you would expect it to be true: · You're not in the least sorry, are you?· My essay wasn't a bit like yours.· "Was she annoyed?" "Not a bit! She was delighted."fnot the least (bit): · Henry wasn't the least bit worried.
if something is in no way affected by something else, it is definitely not affected by it in any way: · This will in no way influence our original decision.· The damage is very slight and in no way reduces the value of the painting.
use this when something is completely untrue, impossible, different etc: · His arguments are not remotely convincing.· It was a stupid remark, and not remotely funny.· She didn't seem remotely interested in anything I had to say.
use this to emphasize that something is definitely not true, and if someone thinks it is true they are being a little stupid: · They only won 1-0 - hardly a great victory!· It's hardly surprising he's upset, considering the way you've treated him!· He's hardly a world chess champion - you should be able to beat him.· All these similarities could hardly be due to chance.
use this to say that someone is not good at something: · I occasionally put up a few shelves, but I'm not exactly the world's greatest handyman.
an informal expression meaning to not have the skills, qualities etc of the person or type of person that you have mentioned: · Of course, I'm no expert but that wall really looks like it's leaning over.· Stephanie knows what she's doing. She's no fool.· He's quite a bright boy I suppose, but he's no Albert Einstein.
use this to emphasize strongly that something is not possible, likely, true etc: · I can't see any use in us talking about that idea at all - it's simply not practical.· For as long as she could remember she'd just never been interested in marriage and children.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY It is quite simply the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard. To put it simply, the tax cuts mean the average person will be about 3% better off.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Many exam candidates lose marks simply because they do not read the questions properly. I do it purely and simply for the money.
It is quite simply the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard. To put it simply, the tax cuts mean the average person will be about 3% better off. Many exam candidates lose marks simply because they do not read the questions properly. (=used to emphasize that it is very strange)· After two weeks it seemed that the boys had simply disappeared.
I do it purely and simply for the money.· Put simply, our aim is to create art.
(=used for emphasis)· Some children simply refuse to do what they’re told.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSVERB· This means simply that the customers have the claim on these deposits and thus the institutions are liable to meet the claims.· To Freed, it purely and simply meant money.· It means simply freedom from coercion by others and it is achieved when a sphere of private autonomy is created.· Since we only have one planet to go on, this simply means that the process has happened once.· But uneven development does not simply mean that types and quantities of physical and social phenomena vary from place to place.· The banking industry is aggressively paring its ranks, and the current wave of megamergers simply means more layoffs.· A mistake with the treatment will simply mean a double threat to the life of the patient.· Many economists argue raising the minimum wage simply means higher unemployment among the very people such a measure is trying to help.
· The mercenary ones simply put up with them and pretend that they love them for what they can get out of them.· They simply put it out and let the music speak for itself.· He simply put the letters on Arty's locker and turned away.· Their task, simply put, was to lay the scientific groundwork for the manned landing missions that were then being planned.· Put simply, the necessary finance can be made available to you in return for Barclays taking a minority shareholding in your business.· Put simply, intellectual property is not an obstacle to access.· The questions were simply putting the officers' belief in his guilt to W, and he was making no reply.· Put simply, they believe aid fails due to the dichotomy between theory at a distance and practical reality at the local level.
· She simply wanted to meet me.· They simply wanted more of my time.· He subsequently endeavoured to explain that he simply wanted to question the cost-effectiveness of the programme in terms of lives saved.· They simply wanted to jab Clinton.· Some older people want classes specially for their own age group; others want simply to participate in adult education generally.· Was that it, or did he simply want to de-emphasize the black heritage?· As far as they are concerned, of course, they are simply wanting another ice-cream, or another go on the swing.· You simply want something so much that you knock yourself out to get it.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- Sometimes, it's simply a question of somewhere safe to go after school while parents are working.
WORD FAMILYnounsimplicitysimplificationsimpletonadjectivesimplesimplisticadverbsimplysimplisticallyverbsimplify
1used to emphasize what you are saying: This work is simply not good enough. He simply won’t accept the committee’s decision. That would be simply wonderful! It is quite simply the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard.2only SYN just: Some students lose marks simply because they don’t read the question properly. It’s not simply a question of money. What we need is not simply a smaller organization, but a more efficient one.3used to emphasize how easy it is to do something: Simply fill in the coupon and take it to your local store.4if you say or explain something simply, you say it in a way that is easy for people to understand: Try to express yourself more simply. To put it simply, the tax cuts mean the average person will be about 3% better off.5if you live simply, you live in a plain and ordinary way, without spending much money: We had to live very simply on my father’s small salary.