adverb
-
with ease; without difficulty or exertion
-
by far; beyond question; undoubtedly
he is easily the best in the contest
-
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.
Mining eventually faded, but cars on Route 66 overheated easily and often limped into town for water.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
“Not if you have to live off the earnings of your franchise,” Mr. Ressler says, “and not if you get frustrated easily from disappointment.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Ideally someone in my situation would have an extra cash buffer in an easily accessible savings account to pay down the card.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
Detecting such a weak signal is difficult because it could easily be buried beneath radiation from other sources, including cosmic rays.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
On the other hand, a wandering peddler’s name could easily have been forgotten if it was ever known at all.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
