easy
Americanadjective
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not hard or difficult; requiring no great labor or effort.
a book that is easy to read; an easy victory.
- Antonyms:
- difficult
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free from pain, discomfort, worry, or care.
He led an easy life.
- Synonyms:
- quiet, contented, comfortable, untroubled, tranquil
- Antonyms:
- agitated
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providing or conducive to ease or comfort; comfortable.
an easy stance; an easy relationship.
- Antonyms:
- uncomfortable
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fond of or given to ease; easygoing.
an easy disposition.
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not harsh or strict; lenient.
an easy master.
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not burdensome or oppressive.
easy terms on a loan.
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not difficult to influence or overcome; compliant.
an easy prey; an easy mark.
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free from formality, constraint, or embarrassment.
He has an easy manner.
- Synonyms:
- unconstrained, smooth
-
effortlessly clear and fluent.
an easy style of writing.
-
readily comprehended or mastered.
an easy language to learn.
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not tight or constricting.
an easy fit.
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not forced or hurried; moderate.
an easy pace.
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not steep; gradual.
an easy flight of stairs.
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Commerce.
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(of a commodity) not difficult to obtain; in plentiful supply and often weak in price.
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(of the market) not characterized by eager demand.
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Nautical.
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(of a bilge) formed in a long curve so as to make a gradual transition between the bottom and sides of a vessel; slack.
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(of the run of a hull) having gently curved surfaces leading from the middle body to the stern; not abrupt.
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adverb
noun
adjective
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not requiring much labour or effort; not difficult; simple
an easy job
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free from pain, care, or anxiety
easy in one's mind
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not harsh or restricting; lenient
easy laws
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tolerant and undemanding; easy-going
an easy disposition
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readily influenced or persuaded; pliant
she was an easy victim of his wiles
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not tight or constricting; loose
an easy fit
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not strained or extreme; moderate; gentle
an easy pace
an easy ascent
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economics
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readily obtainable
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(of a market) characterized by low demand or excess supply with prices tending to fall Compare tight
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informal ready to fall in with any suggestion made; not predisposed
he is easy about what to do
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slang sexually available
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informal pleasant to look at; attractive, esp sexually
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a sexually available woman, esp a prostitute
adverb
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informal in an easy or relaxed manner
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informal go slowly and carefully; be careful
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to use in moderation
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to treat leniently
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military a command to soldiers standing at ease that they may relax further
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to avoid stress or undue hurry
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to remain calm; not become agitated or angry
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verb
Usage
What is a basic definition of easy? Easy describes something that is not difficult and requires little effort. Easy also describes something that is not stressful. Informally, easy means in a comfortable way. Easy has many other senses as an adjective and one as a noun. The most common sense of easy describes something that is simple and requires very little effort or work. This sense is an antonym of words such as difficult, challenging, or tough. Easily means in a way without difficulty. The word ease can mean a lack of stress or difficulty. Real-life examples: Many things you might find easy to do were once hard until you learned to do them. Counting to five is easy once you learn to count. Finding the yellow crayon among all the blue crayons is easy once you know your colors. You no longer have to think about how to do these tasks. They are easy for you now. Used in a sentence: She thought the math test was really easy. Easy also describes something that lacks stress or any other sources of discomfort. This sense usually describes a person’s life as being relaxing or free from any problems or worries. Real-life examples: Pampered pets often lead easy lives of sleeping and eating. When you’re on vacation, life often seems relaxing and easy. Used in a sentence: He had an easy time at work today because nobody came into the store. Easy is used informally to mean comfortably or without much stress or hardship. In formal writing, easily is preferred. Real-life examples: Teachers will often go easy on students they like, meaning they won’t punish those students as harshly or will make things easier for them. If you are taking it easy, you are lounging around and not trying to work hard. If something comes easy to someone, it means they don’t need much effort to master it or complete it. Used in a sentence: The manager went easy on the new employee, giving them a gentle warning.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of easy
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English aisie, esy, from Anglo-French (a)eisie, Old French aisié, aised, past participle of aisier to ease
Explanation
The adjective easy can describe anything that comes without too much effort, like your baseball team's easy win, or your dad's easy recipe for nachos. Something that's easy isn't at all difficult — it just seems to fall into place. There's also a sense of slowness, casualness, and a lack of worry, like getting an easy "A" in your History of Hip Hop class. Easy comes from the Old French word aisie, "comfortable, rich, well-off," an easy way to live indeed. The only thing about easy that's less than simple is remembering to change the y to an i for variations like easier and easiest.
Vocabulary lists containing easy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Lofty stock markets and easy borrowing conditions for companies suggest the economy could absorb higher rates without much difficulty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
“I think the easy answer is to say every pitcher is different,” Roberts said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
An old-school tip for finding new music: If Spotify’s algorithm makes you feel stuck in a musical rut, there’s an easy way out.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
But with rates heading “in the wrong direction, as far as the market and economy is concerned,” but an easy solution is elusive.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
I take the belt out for an easy three-mile run on Friday morning, and then Friday afternoon, it’s haircut time.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
"I think it definitely is easier to be child-free in London," he added.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
AI is supercharging employers’ background checks, making it easier and cheaper to track workers’ online history with more depth than before, Callum Borchers writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Fampridine boosts nerve signals to make it easier for some people to move and live independently.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Later tours reconfigured the chandelier’s choreography, hanging it on one fixed point to lower and lift up and down without the sideways travel — a much easier installation for touring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
I wake up in the middle of the night with ideas for how to make her life easier.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
In some cases, the easiest real estate solution is a gas station near, but not immediately adjacent, to stores.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Spain are still recognisable, still "the easiest team to analyse", as a member of Portugal's staff told me after their defeat in the last 16, but "the hardest to beat."
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Of course, I haven’t mentioned the biggest and perhaps easiest way to save money when you’re invited to a wedding: RSVP-ing “no.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
But Hemani serves as a reminder that analogies are easiest to make from a distance.
From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2026
I won’t lie, it wasn’t the easiest news to get.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
