oversimplify

[ oh-ver-sim-pluh-fahy ]

verb (used with or without object)

, o·ver·sim·pli·fied, o·ver·sim·pli·fy·ing.

1. to simplify to the point of error, distortion, or misrepresentation.

oversimplify

/ ˌəʊvəˈsɪmplɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. to simplify (something) to the point of distortion or error

Derived Forms

• ˌoverˌsimplifiˈcation, noun

Other Words From

• over·simpli·fi·cation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of oversimplify¹

First recorded in 1920–25; over- + simplify

Example Sentences

As always, news outlets oversimplify issues into a polarized either-or option when the truth is much more nuanced.

From Slate

He is aware of criticism that videos like his oversimplify treatment, potentially leading some viewers to believe chiropractors can provide a magic bullet for a multitude of problems.

From New York Times

Well, to way oversimplify, there are two main types of interpretation: living constitutionalism, which tends to be the direction liberals go, and originalism, which tends to be the more conservative approach.

From Slate

Trump's defense will have to try some version of the OJ defense where they will try to oversimplify the case by saying something akin to, "If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit."

From Salon

To grossly oversimplify, the theory posits that consciousness isn’t just the currently scientifically-inexplicable emergent property of a human brain as many consider it now, but a property of pretty much any self-organizing system of material things.

From Salon