oversimplify

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

over- +‎ simplify

Verb[edit]

oversimplify (third-person singular simple present oversimplifies, present participle oversimplifying, simple past and past participle oversimplified)

  1. To explain or present something in a way that excludes important information for the sake of brevity, or of making the explanation or presentation easy to understand.
    • 1964 June, “News and Comment: Only 26 per cent of freight on rail”, in Modern Railways, page 369:
      But the report stresses that this comparison, based purely on the total transport performed, oversimplifies the picture. The kinds of work performed by rail and rail transport are not identical.

Derived terms[edit]