simplify

/ˌsɪmpləˈfaɪ/

/ˈsɪmplɪfaɪ/

Other forms: simplified; simplifying; simplifies

To simplify something is to make it less complex and easier to understand. When you simplify, you make things clearer.

Since simple things have less parts or complexity, when you simplify, you're eliminating the clutter and reducing something to its essence. For example, if a speech is long and confusing, the person giving it might need to simplify their ideas: make them clearer. Teachers are good at simplifying; they take complex ideas and make them easier for students to understand. If you don't understand what someone is telling you, ask them to simplify it.

Definitions of simplify

1. verb

   make simpler or easier or reduce in complexity or extent
   “We had to simplify the instructions”

   “this move will simplify our lives”

   antonyms:

   complicate

   make more complicated

   types:

   reduce

   make less complex

   oversimplify

   make too simple

   abbreviate

   shorten

   type of:

   alter, change, modify

   cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
2. verb

   simplify the form of a mathematical equation or expression by substituting one term for another
   synonyms: reduce

   type of:

   exchange, interchange, replace, substitute

   put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items