Word Confusion: Simple versus Simplistic

Word Confusion: Simple versus Simplistic

You’d think this word confusion would be simple — actually it’s a simple word that has a split personality in both its guises — simple vs simplistic. Simple is plain, easy, ordinary, or uncomplicated, or it can be naive or mentally handicapped. Simplistic sounds as if it should be simple, but it’s not. Simplistic does not describe things that are easy to understand, deal with, or use. Instead it’s more likely that somebody has overly simplified the problem so badly that the idea won’t work. Return to top Word Confusions . . . . . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end. If you found this post on “Simple versus Simplistic” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates. Return to top Simple Simplistic Forty-five Simple Plant Leaves of Different Forms is under the CC BY 4.0 license is […]