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facile explanation

facile explanation

1 6.9
A simple idea about why something happened that misses important facts
  • noun
  • /ˈfæsaɪl ɪkˌspləˈneɪʃən/
  • Formal
: explicación simplista
  • The journalist's facile explanation failed to address the deeper issues involved in the case.

Examples

  • Critics dismissed his theory as just another facile explanation lacking real evidence.

  • Don't settle for a facile explanation that ignores the details!

  • Students sometimes rely on a facile explanation when a topic is difficult to understand.

  • The professor offered a facile explanation for the complex theory.

  • Critics dismissed his theory as just another facile explanation lacking real evidence.

  • The journalist's facile explanation failed to address the deeper issues involved in the case.

  • Students sometimes rely on a facile explanation when a topic is difficult to understand.

Synonyms

oversimplification
vsfacile explanation
6 7.0

Making something seem simpler than it really is by leaving out important details

simplifies things too much instead of showing real complexity
hand-waving
vsfacile explanation
  • Informal
1 7.9

An explanation that is vague and lacks proof or important detail

is shallow and simplistic rather than detailed and convincing
flimsy argument
vsfacile explanation
1 4.2

A reason that is weak and not supported by evidence

is simplistic and superficial rather than only weak or unsupported
facile argument
vsfacile explanation
  • Formal
1 8.2

A reason that seems simple but is shallow and not careful

is too simplistic and superficial rather than deeply accurate
total lamesauce
vsfacile explanation
  • Slang
9.9

A weak excuse that people do not believe

is simplistic and shallow rather than merely informal or silly

How Superficial

facile explanation
  • Formal
1 6.9
explanation
919 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

facile + explanation

The meaning 'an explanation that is too simplistic or superficial' is a direct, compositional combination of 'facile' (simplistic/superficial) + 'explanation' (an account). This adjective+noun pattern is transparent and follows common compositional rules, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Facile explanation comes from an older word, facile, that meant 'easy'. The image is a quick answer that slides over a problem instead of going deep into it, so it means a too 'simple' or 'shallow' explanation.