noun

simpleton

SIHM-puhl-tuhn

noun

A person who lacks common sense or shows poor judgement; a foolish person.

"Only a simpleton would sign a contract without reading it."

How to Use Simpleton

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishAn old-fashioned, slightly harsh word for someone who acts foolishly.

When to use it

Fairly dated and insulting — used more in fiction and old-fashioned speech than in everyday modern conversation.

simpletons plural

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Only a _____ would sign a contract without reading it.

From simple plus the ending -ton, on the pattern of a surname — the same joking formation seen in words like "singleton."

Breton skeleton Carleton Appleton Eagleton singleton Middleton Pendleton Stapleton Littleton Pembleton Shackleton