adverb
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with ease; without difficulty or exertion
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by far; beyond question; undoubtedly
he is easily the best in the contest
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probably; almost certainly
he may easily come first
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of easily
First recorded in 1250–1300, easily is from the Middle English word esily. See easy, -ly
Explanation
Things that happen easily don't require a lot of effort. When your old car starts easily on a very cold morning, you'll breathe a sigh of relief. While you can only climb a mountain with difficulty, you can probably climb the stairs in your house easily. You can also use this adverb to mean something closer to "quickly," as when you describe your puppy as easily distracted with treats or yourself as easily bored by long books. The Old French root of easily is aisie, "comfortable" or "at ease."
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.
Even with the advantages into which they were born, their career was not easily won; it was earned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Without a new 1031 exchange, your federal tax could easily be $60,000 to $90,000, in addition to state taxes and attorney fees.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
Their hope is that they will easily meet all their obligations with future revenue as consumers and businesses adopt AI in every facet of American life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
That radioactive spider that transformed Peter Parker into Spider-Man could have bitten the class moron just as easily.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
But as they grew closer, the waves abruptly dropped, and Christopher could have steered the boat easily.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
