razor
n. countablen. a rule used in thinking to help you choose the most likely explanation for something. It helps you cut away ideas that are too complicated or unlikely.
n. a principle of investigation or philosophical rule of thumb that allows for the elimination of unlikely explanations for a phenomenon. Often used to simplify complex problems by prioritizing the most parsimonious hypothesis.
We used Occam's razor to solve the mystery.
Applying the philosophical razor, the detective dismissed the elaborate conspiracy theory in favor of a simpler explanation.
In scientific discourse, a razor serves as a heuristic device to prune away superfluous assumptions that lack empirical support or logical necessity.
From Middle English rasour, from Old French rasour, from raser (“to scrape, to shave”). More at rat. By surface analysis, raze + -or. Displaced the native Old English sċierseax (literally “shaving knife”).
Frequently appears in the possessive form when named after a philosopher, such as 'Occam's razor' or 'Hanlon's razor'.