Shu was reading a limerick on OEDILF and saw one that used "simplistic" as a synonym of "simple." He says that's not the case.

Can they be used interchangeably?

Not really. "Simplistic" means "unrealistically simple".

The simplistic solution to war is for everyone to love one another.

Can they be used interchangeably?

Not how I speak ...

Great example, arnie. So, Shu is right. They are quite different words.

Here was the limerick (not mine). Shu thinks the use of "simplistic" here is wrong:

The abacus is a device
That does math in ways strictly precise.
Its works are holistic
With a form as simplistic
As a toy that is pure Fisher-Price.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kalleh,

It's not holistic either. But heck, precision is for abaci, not for limericks.

Or is it abacusses?