The Endangered Word List

Sadly, today I must add another word to the EWL. I'm giving it "threatened" status, in the hopes that with education and awareness we can turn its fate around before it becomes officially endangered. Here is the word with its proper definition (as written by moi).

Simplistic--adj.--overly simple, usually used pejoratively.

Simplistic does not mean "simple" or "very simple". It means that something is simple to the point that important detail is lost. Wiktionary also notes that the phrase "overly simplistic" is a tautology.

I have no idea how this innocent word has wound up so used and abused, as it would seem to be a rather unusual target for mass manhandling. It is with sorrow in my heart that I place it with its brethren "literally" (recently removed from "Endangered" status, but still "Threatened") and "unique " (which has been beaten within a tautology of its life).