simplicity
/sɪmˈplɪsɪti
/noun [mass noun]
1The quality or condition of being easy to understand or do: for the sake of simplicity, this chapter will concentrate upon one theory...
- Surely, the other argument is that due to their simplicity, blogs are easier to customise and fit in with complex designs.
- Their high energy and simplicity make them easy to absorb and enjoy, but also bring them to the brink of monotony.
- The joy of opposition is its simplicity; Ukrainians understood what we opposed and stood side by side with us.
Synonyms
clarity, clearness, plainness, simpleness, intelligibility, comprehensibility, understandability, lucidity, lucidness, coherence, directness, straightforwardness, accessibility
informal user-friendliness
2The quality or condition of being plain or uncomplicated in form or design: the grandeur and simplicity of Roman architecture...
- We've tried to keep to some of the basic color scheme and, I hope, the relative simplicity of the design.
- The final design emphasizes its simplicity, heavily relying on upstage lighting technique and set movement.
- The current design stresses speed and simplicity but it's become very cluttered over the years.
Synonyms
plainness, lack/absence of adornment, lack/absence of decoration, lack/absence of ornament/ornamentation, lack/absence of embellishment, unpretentiousness;
starkness, austereness, austerity, spareness, severity;
classic lines, clean lines, lack/absence of clutter, restraint, purity
unpretentiousness, ordinariness, lack of sophistication, lack of affectation, naturalness, modesty, homeliness, wholesomeness, quietness;
innocence, guilelessness, naivety, ingenuousness
2.1 [count noun] A thing that is plain or uncomplicated: the simplicities of pastoral living...
- All of which makes one nostalgic for the simplicities of the Second World War, when war correspondents on both sides were expected to be unquestioning patriots.
- He has had a four-decade-long artistic career that spans a seismic shift in the character of New Zealand society: the shift from monolithic simplicities to multicultural complexity.
- The responses of some are unsettling and go far beyond the simplicities of political satire.
Synonyms
straightforwardness, ease, easiness, simpleness, lack/absence of complication, effortlessness, manageability
Phrases
be simplicity itself
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French simplicite or Latin simplicitas, from simplex (see simplex).