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
Derived 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.
Other particularly vulnerable countries include 39 island states that face challenges such as limited freshwater, import dependence, and inability to easily shelter elsewhere after a disaster such as a hurricane.
From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026
Quite poorly educated, quite easily misled, perhaps less than enlightened.
From Salon • Jun. 15, 2026
The annual cost for a private room can easily exceed $140,000, depending on where you live.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 15, 2026
Tencent, owner of the WeChat app that boasts more than a billion users in China, is testing an AI agent for the app that could help users more easily manage payments, food delivery and taxi-hailing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
As if asking for help comes easily for you.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
