Simplification: meaning, definitions and examples

When making something less complicated or easier to understand, often used in general contexts including education, work procedures, or technical explanations.

• The teacher provided a simplification of the complex theory.
• The new software offers a simplification of the data entry process.

When making something clearer or removing ambiguities, often used in discussions, meetings, or instructional materials.

• The manager asked for clarification of the new policy.
• To avoid confusion, the teacher provided a clarification of the assignment instructions.

When making a process more efficient by eliminating unnecessary steps, usually used in business, manufacturing, and operations contexts.

• The company is streamlining its production process to reduce costs.
• By streamlining the workflow, we can increase productivity.

When shortening a text or document while retaining its essential information, commonly used in literature, legal contexts, and formal reports.

• The abridgment of the novel made it shorter but kept the main storyline intact.
• The company released an abridgment of its annual report for the shareholders.

Use when talking about the process of making something easier to understand or do, particularly in formal or technical contexts.

• The simplification of the tax code could benefit many people.
• The manual went through a simplification to make it user-friendly.

The act of making something less complicated or easier to do and understand, commonly used in everyday language.

• He's good at simplifying complex problems.
• They're simplifying the instructions to help users better.

Use when referring to the lessening of something in size, amount, or degree. Often used in terms of decreasing quantity or eliminating complexity.

• There was a significant reduction in costs after the changes.
• The company announced a reduction in workforce to cut expenses.

Use when focusing on making a process more efficient by eliminating unnecessary steps or complexity, often in business or operational contexts.

• They are streamlining their supply chain for greater efficiency.
• We need to streamline our workflow to save time.

Used when trying to make something easier to understand or do by removing unnecessary complexity.

• The simplification of the user interface made the software much easier to use.
• We need a simplification of the process to reduce errors.

Applied when seeking to make something as effective or functional as possible, typically by finding the best way to use resources.

• The optimization of the supply chain resulted in significant cost savings.
• We need to focus on optimization to improve our performance metrics.

Similar to simplification, but often used in day-to-day conversation to describe the action of making something less complicated.

• Simplifying the instructions made the assembly process quicker.
• We are focusing on simplifying our workflow to increase productivity.

Used when making something more efficient by reorganizing or restructuring it, sometimes having a slightly negative connotation if jobs or services are cut.

• The rationalization of the company led to many departments being merged.
• We should consider rationalization to streamline our operations.