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Synonyms
Examples of simpleton in a Sentence
The instructions were so complicated I felt like a complete simpleton.
his silly antics at office parties have earned him a reputation as a simpleton
Recent Examples on the Web
Gamble, seeing there was no way to get anywhere with the chancellor playing the simpleton, opened the floor to softball questions.
—Thomas Meaney, Harper's Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024
Americans, even or especially historians, tend to treat the early New Englanders as dogmatists: narrow, pious simpletons.
—Marilynne Robinson, Harper's Magazine, 1 July 2022
All three of his major poetry-writing heteronyms, with their distinctive and incompatible orientations to life—a holy simpleton of a shepherd, a moody naval engineer, and a stoical medical student turned Latin instructor—are impressive modern poets, as is Pessoa under his own name.
—Benjamin Kunkel, Harper's Magazine, 26 Oct. 2021
His competition was Forrest Gump, a feel-good studio drama that located America’s soul in a sweet simpleton played by Tom Hanks.
—Michael Schulman, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2023
Redmayne plays a creep; Henry, a yearner; Keoghan, a simpleton.
—Glenn Whippcolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2023
Keoghan’s village simpleton, who becomes a poor substitute friend for Farrell’s character, is both delightfully weird and gradually gutting as the traumas of his upbringing become clearer.
—Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Dec. 2022
Turning what could have been merely a simpleton into a lost soul, Keoghan’s work here is vivid and heartbreaking.
—Glenn Whippentertainment Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2022
Savvy and simpleton investors alike could easily pick apart Snap’s latest quarterly data.
—Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'simpleton.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
simple entry 1 + -ton (as in surnames such as Washington)
First Known Use
circa 1630, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near simpleton
Cite this Entry
“Simpleton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/simpleton. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Kids Definition
simpleton
noun
sim·ple·ton
ˈsim-pəl-tən
: a person lacking in common sense
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