simplificatory

Simplificatory is an adjective used to describe something that tends to simplify or is intended to reduce complexity. It derives from simplify, with the -atory suffix forming an adjective that denotes purpose or relation to the act of simplification. The term is common in academic and technical writing where the goal is to make a system, argument, or model more tractable by stripping away superfluous details. The word is more common in academic contexts than in everyday language.

In practice, simplificatory approaches appear across disciplines such as philosophy, mathematics, computer science, and linguistics. They involve abstraction, generalization, or heuristic methods that preserve essential properties while omitting nonessential elements. The label can be neutral, describing a legitimate and widely used strategy, or critical if the simplification is viewed as removing important nuance or accuracy.

Examples include a simplificatory model of an ecosystem that focuses on primary drivers rather than full complexity, or a simplificatory algorithm that speeds computation by approximating results. In argumentative writing, a simplificatory line of reasoning may derive a conclusion by isolating a few core premises.

See also: simplification, simplify.