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.
Their faint light is also easily confused with that of much closer stars in our own galaxy.
From Science Daily • Jul. 9, 2026
They said the moth was "tiny and easily overlooked" and they hoped it could be found elsewhere in the Telford area.
From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026
"To lose them like that, so easily, so quickly, I don’t know," she said.
From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026
The Chinese had researched how urgently Canada needed non-American buyers for its canola seed, and easily agreed to lower agricultural tariffs in return for Canada welcoming 49,000 Chinese electric cars.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026
Rowan, no longer weighed down by the pack on his back, found he was able to keep up quite easily, despite his bruises.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
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.
