Simpleton

//ˈsɪmpəltən// noun, slang

noun, slang ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A simple-minded person lacking common sense. derogatory, informal

    "The stranger had crossed a sacred line. He had mentioned the men's mothers. Nothing could get him out of a beating now, even the fact that he was obviously a simpleton. Albeit a simpleton with a good vocabulary."

  2. 2
    a person lacking intelligence or common sense wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
foolairheadamentboneheadborn foolbungler

Example

More examples

"This poor simpleton has been robbed of four gold pieces. Take him, therefore, and throw him into prison."

Etymology

From simple + -ton (as in a surname). Compare French simplet, Italian semplicione.

Related phrases

common sense

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.