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Synonyms

easier said than done

Idioms  

  1. Also, more easily said than done. Describing something more readily talked about than accomplished, as in Keeping the cats off the sofa is easier said than done. This expression also was put as. Today, the variant (more easily) is still heard less often than the original. [c. 1450]

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.

For many nations -- particularly developing fossil fuel producers -- phasing out a major source of state revenue is easier said than done.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

But that is easier said than done, of course, particularly considering their extensive injury list that has worsened now with Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha to miss the game with concussion.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

But the task is easier said than done.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

Achieving Musk’s vision is likely easier said than done.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 2026

Staying stone still was easier said than done.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

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.