effortless
Americanadjective
adjective
-
requiring or involving little effort; easy
-
archaic making little effort; passive
Other Word Forms
- effortlessly adverb
- effortlessness noun
Etymology
Origin of effortless
Explanation
Something effortless is easy to do — or at least appears that way. Great basketball players make scoring three-point shots look effortless. If you always know just what to wear, you have an effortless sense of style. Effort is the work it takes to do something. Moving a couch and staying on a diet both require effort. If something is effortless, it takes no work at all to do. For example, lifting a feather is effortless. Writing may be effortless for some people, but difficult for others. Also, some things just look effortless. A great musician might make playing guitar sound effortless, but years of practice probably went into it. Experts make difficult things seem effortless.
Vocabulary lists containing effortless
Power Suffix: -less
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Stay Strong: Forc and Fort
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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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.
We watch our hero athletes handle all that pressure on the field, and they make it seem effortless.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
Godoy radiates effortless charisma, a kind of uncynical openness that feels both childlike and magnetic.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
These call her "so cute your heart stops," hype up her "angelic smile" as she hugs world leaders and feature her effortless "out-debating" of an opposition lawmaker.
From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026
"Raeburn's expressive, seemingly effortless brushwork, the characteristic warm palette, soft atmospheric lighting and sensitive rendering of the instantly recognisable Robert Burns are a joy," she said.
From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026
For those in the audience, it was as if normal time had stopped, as they were transported by the seemingly effortless wonder of it all.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
