Meaning & use
simplification
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Meanings
noununcountable
The process of making something easier to understand, use, or manage by removing unnecessary parts or detail.
Grammar: No plural when naming the general process; often followed by of: simplification of the rules.
Patterns
- simplification of something
- the simplification of something
- need for simplification
The simplification of the form helped older applicants complete it without help.
Teachers asked for a simplification of the grading system so students could understand it.
The report explains the simplification of visa procedures after the policy review.
nouncountable
A particular change, version, or instance in which something complex is made simpler.
Grammar: Can take an or an and has the plural simplifications: one simplification, several simplifications.
Patterns
- a simplification of something
- make a simplification
- accept something as a simplification
The map is a simplification of the city, so some small streets are missing.
Her explanation is a useful simplification for beginners, though it hides some exceptions.
These simplifications make the software faster but reduce flexibility.
nouncountable or uncountablemathematics
In mathematics, changing a fraction, ratio, or expression to an equal form with smaller numbers or fewer terms.
Grammar: Names both the general process and one completed result: the simplification of 4/8, or a simplification.
Patterns
- simplification of a fraction
- simplification to lowest terms
- carry out a simplification
The simplification of 12/18 gives the equivalent fraction 2/3.
Before solving, check whether a simplification of the equation is possible.
Students often lose marks by forgetting the final simplification step.
Word forms
| plural | simplifications |
|---|
Common combinations
- simplification of the rules
- The simplification of the rules made the game easier to teach.
- radical simplification
- The new design is a radical simplification of the old process.
- need for simplification
- There is a clear need for simplification in tax reporting.
- process of simplification
- The process of simplification took several months.
- oversimplification of the issue
- An oversimplification of the issue can hide the real causes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- streamlining
- Usually means removing steps or waste from a system, not making ideas easier to understand.
- clarification
- Focuses on making meaning clear; simplification may also reduce the amount of material.
- reduction
- Broader and less specific; it does not necessarily imply easier understanding.
Opposites
Word family
- simplify verb
- To make something simpler: simplify the instructions.
- simple adjective
- Easy to understand or not complicated.
- simply adverb
- In a simple way, or merely/just in some contexts.
- simplicity noun
- The quality of being simple, not the act of simplifying.
- oversimplification noun
- A simplification that goes too far and loses important meaning.
Commonly confused: simplification or oversimplification? simplification or simplicity?
simplification vs oversimplification
Use simplification for a helpful reduction; use oversimplification when important detail is wrongly lost.
simplification vs simplicity
Simplicity is the state of being simple; simplification is the action or result of making something simpler.
Practice
The new diagram is a helpful ___ for young learners, although experts may want more detail.
Choose one answer.
Simplification fits because the diagram makes the topic easier for learners. Oversimplification suggests loss of needed nuance; complication is the opposite effect; simplicity is a state, not a version made for learners.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “simplification”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.