effortless
Americanadjective
adjective
-
requiring or involving little effort; easy
-
archaic making little effort; passive
Other Word Forms
- effortlessly adverb
- effortlessness noun
Etymology
Origin of effortless
Explanation
Something effortless is easy to do — or at least appears that way. Great basketball players make scoring three-point shots look effortless. If you always know just what to wear, you have an effortless sense of style. Effort is the work it takes to do something. Moving a couch and staying on a diet both require effort. If something is effortless, it takes no work at all to do. For example, lifting a feather is effortless. Writing may be effortless for some people, but difficult for others. Also, some things just look effortless. A great musician might make playing guitar sound effortless, but years of practice probably went into it. Experts make difficult things seem effortless.
Vocabulary lists containing effortless
Power Suffix: -less
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Stay Strong: Forc and Fort
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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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.
Getting in and out of the rear cabin is effortless.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
Singer Shreya Ghosal recalled growing up "listening to her, learning from her, and being in awe of her effortless versatility", adding that she made "every note feel alive, every emotion feel personal".
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
He has what Weir called a “wild, effortless quality” to his skating.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2026
The comments section praised her effortless humour and impromptu singing.
From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026
The play she had written for Leon’s homecoming was her first excursion into drama, and she had found the transition quite effortless.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
