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What is a one word substitute for something which is "easily understood"? I can think of clear but I guess there are other better words.

Edit 1. Will the answer be different for easily understandable? (As opposed to easily understood)

Edit 2. Here's an example to more narrowly indicate the sort of usage desired:

The manual should be precise and easily understandable.

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  • After your 2nd edit, the words "succinct" and "concise" spring to mind. Not really analogues of "easily understood", but might be worthy of consideration.
    – Brad
    Apr 30, 2012 at 18:44
  • @Reg Wish there was similar protection from misuse of down voting.
    – Kris
    Apr 30, 2012 at 18:53
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    After the edit, I think the concept you are trying to capture is clarity, which makes "clear" the simplest and most obvious choice to me.
    – yamad
    Apr 30, 2012 at 19:25

9 Answers 9

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If the manual is to be easily understandable, so should be this statement, right?

"The manual should be precise and easy to understand" is the best wording.

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    It may not be one word, but after examining the whole list of proposals, I think easy to understand is the simplest, clearest, most lucid suggestion. +1.
    – J.R.
    May 1, 2012 at 2:33
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Try one of these:

simple
comprehensible
straight-forward
understandable
intelligible
fathomable
graspable

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    I'm not a big fan of graspable, but there are some worthy candidates in this list.
    – J.R.
    Apr 30, 2012 at 19:59
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I like lucid (in sense 1 "clear; easily understood").

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Simple is the best (and simplest) substitute.

This concept can be easily understood.

This concept is simple.

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The expression I might use is self-evident.

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Clear: meaning easy to perceive, understand, or interpret. Evident. In your example:

The manual should be precise and easily understandable.

The manual should be precise and clear.

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1

How about coherent?

b : having clarity or intelligibility : understandable

Examples: a coherent person; a coherent passage

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  • @cornbread...please see my edits. I am overwhelmed by the ocean of words. Of course I did not provide the context/example earlier.
    – Stat-R
    Apr 30, 2012 at 18:22
  • I stand by coherent. 'Easily understandable' is in the M-W definition I quoted.
    – cornbread ninja 麵包忍者
    Apr 30, 2012 at 18:23
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accessible - easily understood or appreciated.

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You could go with:

The manual should be precise and user-friendly.

It is a familiar term now and, of course, means easy to understand and easy to use.

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