Simple vs. Easy — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Simple and Easy
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Compare with Definitions
Simple
Easily understood or done; presenting no difficulty
A simple solution
Camcorders are now so simple to operate
Easy
Achieved without great effort; presenting few difficulties
An easy way of retrieving information
Simple
Plain, basic, or uncomplicated in form, nature, or design; without much decoration or ornamentation
The house is furnished in a simple country style
A simple white blouse
Easy
(of a period of time or way of life) free from worries or problems
Promises of an easy life in the New World
Simple
Composed of a single element; not compound.
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Easy
(of an object of attack or criticism) having no defence; vulnerable
As a taxi driver he was an easy target
Simple
Of very low intelligence.
Easy
Without difficulty or effort
We all scared real easy in those days
Simple
A medicinal herb, or a medicine made from one
The gatherers of simples
Easy
Be careful
Easy, girl—you'll knock me over!
Simple
Used to convey that something is very straightforward
I don't overanalyse. I listen, I like, I buy. Simple!
Easy
Capable of being accomplished or acquired with ease; posing no difficulty
An easy victory.
An easy problem.
Simple
Having few parts or features; not complicated or elaborate
A house with a simple floor plan.
Easy
Likely to happen by accident or without intention
It's easy to slip on the wet floor. It's easy to push the wrong button.
Simple
Easy to understand, do, or carry out
A simple set of instructions.
A simple chore.
Easy
Requiring or exhibiting little effort or endeavor; undemanding
Took the easy way out of her problems.
Wasn't satisfied with easy answers.
Simple
Having or composed of only one thing, element, or part
A simple chemical substance.
Easy
Free from worry, anxiety, trouble, or pain
My mind was easy, knowing that I had done my best.
Simple
Being without additions or modifications; mere
A simple "yes" or "no.".
Easy
Affording comfort or relief; soothing
Soft light that was easy on the eyes.
Simple
(Biology) Having no divisions or branches; not compound
A simple leaf.
A simple eye or lens.
Easy
Prosperous; well-off
Easy living.
Easy circumstances.
Simple
(Music) Being without figuration or elaboration
A simple tone.
Easy
Causing little hardship or distress
An easy penalty.
A habit that isn't easy to give up.
Simple
Having little or no ornamentation; not embellished or adorned
A simple dress.
Easy
Socially at ease
An easy, good-natured manner.
Simple
Not characterized by luxury or elaborate commitments
Simple living.
Easy
Relaxed in attitude; easygoing
An easy disposition.
Simple
Not pretentious, guileful, or deceitful; humble or sincere
A simple child.
Told us about his achievement in the simplest manner.
Easy
Not strict or severe; lenient
An easy teacher.
Easy standards.
Simple
Having or showing little intelligence, education, or experience
Simple people who have trouble understanding health regulations.
Easy
Readily exploited, imposed on, or tricked
An easy mark.
An easy victim.
Simple
Lowly in condition or rank
A simple woodcutter.
Easy
Not hurried or forced; moderate
An easy pace.
An easy walk around the block.
Simple
A medicinal plant or the medicine obtained from it.
Easy
Light; gentle
An easy tap on the shoulder.
Simple
Uncomplicated; taken by itself, with nothing added.
Easy
Not steep or abrupt; gradual
An easy climb.
Simple
Without ornamentation; plain.
Easy
Less in demand and therefore readily obtainable
Commodities are easier this quarter.
Simple
Free from duplicity; guileless, innocent, straightforward.
Easy
Plentiful and therefore at low interest rates
Easy money.
Simple
Undistinguished in social condition; of no special rank.
Easy
Promiscuous; loose.
Simple
Trivial; insignificant.
Easy
Without haste or agitation
Relax and take it easy for a while.
Simple
Feeble-minded; foolish.
Easy
With little effort; easily
Success that came too easy.
Simple
Structurally uncomplicated.
Easy
In a restrained or moderate manner
Go easy on the butter.
Simple
Consisting of one single substance; uncompounded.
Easy
Without much hardship or cost
Got off easy with only a small fine.
Simple
(mathematics) Of a group: having no normal subgroup.
Easy
Comfortable; at ease.
Now that I know it's taken care of, I can rest easy at night.
Simple
(botany) Not compound, but possibly lobed.
Easy
Requiring little skill or effort.
It's often easy to wake up but hard to get up.
The teacher gave an easy test to her students.
Simple
Using steam only once in its cylinders, in contrast to a compound engine, where steam is used more than once in high-pressure and low-pressure cylinders.
Easy
Causing ease; giving comfort, or freedom from care or labour.
Rich people live in easy circumstances.
An easy chair
Simple
(zoology) Consisting of a single individual or zooid; not compound.
A simple ascidian
Easy
Free from constraint, harshness, or formality; unconstrained; smooth.
Easy manners; an easy style
Simple
(mineralogy) Homogenous.
Easy
Consenting readily to sex.
She has a reputation for being easy; they say she slept with half the senior class.
Simple
(obsolete) Mere; not other than; being only.
Easy
Not making resistance or showing unwillingness; tractable; yielding; compliant.
Simple
(pharmaceutical drug) A herbal preparation made from one plant, as opposed to something made from more than one plant.
Easy
Not straitened as to money matters; opposed to tight.
The market is easy.
Simple
A physician.
Easy
In a relaxed or casual manner.
After his illness, John decided to take it easy.
Everything comes easy to her.
Simple
(logic) A simple or atomic proposition.
Easy
In a manner without strictness or harshness.
Jane went easier on him after he broke his arm.
Simple
(obsolete) Something not mixed or compounded.
Easy
At the very least.
This project will cost 15 million dollars, easy.
Simple
(weaving) A drawloom.
Easy
Something that is easy. en
Simple
(weaving) Part of the apparatus for raising the heddles of a drawloom.
Easy
(rowing) easy-oar
Simple
(Roman Catholicism) A feast which is not a double or a semidouble.
Easy
At ease; free from pain, trouble, or constraint
Simple
To gather simples, i.e. medicinal herbs.
Easy
Not causing, or attended with, pain or disquiet, or much exertion; affording ease or rest; as, an easy carriage; a ship having an easy motion; easy movements, as in dancing.
Simple
Single; not complex; not infolded or entangled; uncombined; not compounded; not blended with something else; not complicated; as, a simple substance; a simple idea; a simple sound; a simple machine; a simple problem; simple tasks.
Easy
Not difficult; requiring little labor or effort; slight; inconsiderable; as, an easy task; an easy victory.
It were an easy leap.
Simple
Plain; unadorned; as, simple dress.
Easy
Causing ease; giving freedom from care or labor; furnishing comfort; commodious; as, easy circumstances; an easy chair or cushion.
Simple
Mere; not other than; being only.
A medicine . . . whose simple touchIs powerful to araise King Pepin.
Easy
Not making resistance or showing unwillingness; tractable; yielding; complying; ready.
He gained their easy hearts.
He is too tyrannical to be an easy monarch.
Simple
Not given to artifice, stratagem, or duplicity; undesigning; sincere; true.
Full many fine men go upon my score, as simple as I stand here, and I trust them.
Must thou trust Tradition's simple tongue?
To be simple is to be great.
Easy
Moderate; sparing; frugal.
Simple
Artless in manner; unaffected; unconstrained; natural; inartificial;; straightforward.
In simple manners all the secret lies.
Easy
Not straitened as to money matters; as, the market is easy; - opposed to tight.
Simple
Direct; clear; intelligible; not abstruse or enigmatical; as, a simple statement; simple language.
Easy
Posing no difficulty; requiring little effort;
An easy job
An easy problem
An easy victory
The house is easy to heat
Satisfied with easy answers
Took the easy way out of his dilemma
Simple
Weak in intellect; not wise or sagacious; of but moderate understanding or attainments; hence, foolish; silly.
The simple believeth every word; but the prudent man looketh well to his going.
Easy
Not hurried or forced;
An easy walk around the block
At a leisurely (or easygoing) pace
Simple
Not luxurious; without much variety; plain; as, a simple diet; a simple way of living.
Thy simple fare and all thy plain delights.
Easy
Free from worry or anxiety;
Knowing that I had done my best, my mind was easy
An easy good-natured manner
By the time the child faced the actual problem of reading she was familiar and at ease with all the elements words
Simple
Humble; lowly; undistinguished.
A simple husbandman in garments gray.
Clergy and laity, male and female, gentle and simple made the fuel of the same fire.
Easy
Affording pleasure;
Easy good looks
Simple
Without subdivisions; entire; as, a simple stem; a simple leaf.
Easy
Having little impact;
An easy pat on the shoulder
Gentle rain
A gentle breeze
A soft (or light) tapping at the window
Simple
Homogenous.
Easy
In fortunate circumstances financially; moderately rich;
They were comfortable or even wealthy by some standards
Easy living
A prosperous family
His family is well-situated financially
Well-to-do members of the community
Simple
Consisting of a single individual or zooid; as, a simple ascidian; - opposed to compound.
I am a simple woman, much too weakTo oppose your cunning.
He is the companion of the silliest people in their most silly pleasure; he is ready for every impertinent entertainment and diversion.
Easy
Not harsh; causing little distress;
An easy penalty
Simple
Something not mixed or compounded.
Easy
Readily exploited or tricked;
An easy mark
An easy victim
Simple
A medicinal plant; - so called because each vegetable was supposed to possess its particular virtue, and therefore to constitute a simple remedy.
What virtue is in this remedy lies in the naked simple itself as it comes over from the Indies.
Easy
Marked by moderate steepness;
An easy climb
A gentle slope
Simple
A drawloom.
Easy
Performing adroitly and without effort;
Her easy grace
A facile hand
Simple
A feast which is not a double or a semidouble.
Easy
Not strict;
An easy teacher
Easy standards
Lenient rules
Simple
To gather simples, or medicinal plants.
As simpling on the flowery hills she [Circe] strayed.
Easy
Affording comfort;
Soft light that was easy on the eyes
Simple
Any herbaceous plant having medicinal properties
Easy
Casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior;
Her easy virtue
He was told to avoid loose (or light) women
Wanton behavior
Simple
A person lacking intelligence or common sense
Easy
Less in demand and therefore readily obtainable;
Commodities are easy this quarter
Simple
Having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved;
A simple problem
Simple mechanisms
A simple design
A simple substance
Easy
Plentiful and therefore at low interest rates; easy to come by;
Easy money
Simple
Easy and not involved or complicated;
An elementary problem in statistics
Elementary, my dear Watson
A simple game
Found an uncomplicated solution to the problem
Easy
With ease (`easy' is sometimes used informally for `easily');
She was easily excited
Was easily confused
He won easily
This china breaks very easily
Success came too easy
Simple
Apart from anything else; without additions or modifications;
Only the bare facts
Shocked by the mere idea
The simple passage of time was enough
The simple truth
Easy
Without speed (`slow' is sometimes used informally for `slowly');
He spoke slowly
Go easy here--the road is slippery
Glaciers move tardily
Please go slow so I can see the sights
Simple
Exhibiting childlike simplicity and credulity;
Childlike trust
Dewy-eyed innocence
Simple courtesy
Easy
In a relaxed manner; or without hardship;
Just wanted to take it easy
Simple
Lacking mental capacity and devoid of subtlety
Simple
(botany) of leaf shapes; of leaves having no divisions or subdivisions
Simple
Not elaborate in style; unornamented;
A simple country schoolhouse
Her black dress--simple to austerity
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