simple-minded

simple-minded — 形容詞

1. Describes someone who finds it hard to understand ideas or situations that other

1.形容詞B2
釋義

頭腦簡單

缺乏理解能力，無法處理複雜事物的

Describes someone who finds it hard to understand ideas or situations that other people consider easy or obvious, often because they do not think deeply or question things.

例句

Amani was simple-minded, often missing the point of conversations with her coworkers.

Amani 頭腦簡單，常常聽不懂同事談話的重點。

simple-minded + adjective describing a person's character

The novel's simple-minded hero believed everything the villain told him.

小說中那個頭腦簡單的主角，對反派說的話全都信以為真。

attributive use: simple-minded + noun (hero)

同義詞
  • naive

    focuses on a lack of experience or worldliness rather than mental ability

  • foolish

    emphasises unwise decisions, not an overall lack of understanding

  • slow

    informal term suggesting someone takes longer to grasp ideas

反義詞
  • sharp

    describes someone who quickly understands things

  • perceptive

    highlights the ability to notice and understand subtle details

用法筆記

Can be considered offensive when applied to a person with an actual learning disability. In modern professional or medical contexts, more precise terms (e.g., 'has a learning difficulty') are preferred.

常見錯誤

❌She made a simple-minded mistake on the test.
✅She made a careless mistake on the test.
💡simple-minded describes a person's general tendency, not a single error anyone could make.

2. Refers to an idea, opinion, plan, or approach that treats a complicated situatio

2.形容詞C1
釋義

過於單純

對複雜問題的看法或處理方式過於簡單的

Refers to an idea, opinion, plan, or approach that treats a complicated situation as though it were very easy and straightforward, ignoring important facts or details.

例句

The mayor's simple-minded plan ignored the real costs of building a new road.

市長那個過於單純的計畫，完全忽略了蓋新馬路的實際成本。

simple-minded + plan (a plan that ignores complexity)

Olivia dismissed the report as simple-minded because it only looked at one side of the issue.

Olivia 認為那份報告過於單純，因為它只看問題的其中一面。

dismiss + as + simple-minded

同義詞
  • naive

    often implies optimism or inexperience rather than an overly reductive analysis

  • superficial

    suggests a lack of depth without necessarily being wrong

  • unsophisticated

    a more neutral term for something that lacks refinement or detail

反義詞
  • nuanced

    describes an approach that acknowledges subtle differences and complexities

  • sophisticated

    implies depth, detail, and careful thought

用法筆記

Unlike sense 1 ('NOT INTELLIGENT'), this sense describes actions or ideas, not the person themselves. You may say 'a simple-minded proposal' without implying the person who made it is unintelligent.

常見錯誤

❌The weather forecast was simple-minded.
✅The weather forecast was inaccurate.
💡simple-minded applies to human reasoning or decisions, not to predictions or natural events.
❌He gave a simple-minded answer to the math question.' (if the answer was just wrong)
✅He gave a simple-minded answer to the math question.' (only if the answer ignored important steps or complexity)