eas·y (  z)adj. eas·i·er, eas·i·est 1. Capable of being accomplished or acquired with ease; posing no difficulty: an easy victory; an easy problem. 2. Requiring or exhibiting little effort or endeavor; undemanding: took the easy way out of her problems; wasn't satisfied with easy answers. 3. Free from worry, anxiety, trouble, or pain: My mind was easy, knowing that I had done my best. 4. a. Affording comfort or relief; soothing: soft light that was easy on the eyes. b. Prosperous; well-off: easy living; easy circumstances. 5. Causing little hardship or distress: an easy penalty; a habit that isn't easy to give up. 6. Socially at ease: an easy, good-natured manner. 7. a. Relaxed in attitude; easygoing: an easy disposition. b. Not strict or severe; lenient: an easy teacher; easy standards. 8. Readily exploited, imposed on, or tricked: an easy mark; an easy victim. 9. a. Not hurried or forced; moderate: an easy pace; an easy walk around the block. b. Light; gentle: an easy tap on the shoulder. 10. Not steep or abrupt; gradual: an easy climb. 11. Economics a. Less in demand and therefore readily obtainable: Commodities are easier this quarter. b. Plentiful and therefore at low interest rates: easy money. 12. Promiscuous; loose. adv.1. Without haste or agitation: Relax and take it easy for a while. 2. With little effort; easily: success that came too easy. 3. In a restrained or moderate manner: Go easy on the butter. 4. Without much hardship or cost: got off easy with only a small fine. Idiom: easy as pie Informal Capable of being accomplished or done with no difficulty.
[Middle English esi, from Old French aaisie, past participle of aaisier, to put at ease : a-, to (from Latin ad-, ad-) + aise, ease; see ease.]
easi·ness n. Synonyms: easy, simple, facile, effortless
These adjectives mean requiring little effort or posing little if any difficulty. Easy applies to tasks that require little effort: "The diagnosis of disease is often easy, often difficult, and often impossible" Peter M. Latham.
Simple implies a lack of complexity that facilitates understanding or performance: "the faculty ... of reducing his thought on any subject to the simplest and plainest terms possible" Baron Charnwood.
Facile stresses readiness and fluency: a facile speaker.
Often, though, the word implies glibness or insincerity, superficiality, or lack of care: an explanation too facile for complex events.
Effortless refers to performance in which the application of great strength or skill makes the execution seem easy: wrote effortless prose. |
easy Adjective [easier, easiest] 1. not difficult; simple: the house is easy to keep clean 2. free from pain, care, or anxiety: an easy life 3. tolerant and undemanding; easy-going 4. defenceless or readily fooled: easy prey 5. moderate and not involving any great effort: an easy ride 6. Informal ready to fall in with any suggestion made: he wanted to do something and I was easy about it 7. Informal pleasant and not involving any great effort to enjoy: easy on the eye Adverb 1. go easy on a. to avoid using too much of: he'd tried to go easy on the engines b. to treat less severely than is deserved: go easy on him, he's just a kid 2. take it easy to relax and avoid stress or undue hurry [Old French aisié] easiness nUSAGE: Easy should only be used as an adverb in certain set phrases: to take it easy; easy does it. Where a fixed expression is not involved, the usual adverbial form of easy is preferred: this polish goes on more easily (not easier) than the other.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Adj. | 1. | easy - posing no difficulty; requiring little effort; "an easy job"; "an easy problem"; "an easy victory"; "the house is easy to heat"; "satisfied with easy answers"; "took the easy way out of his dilemma"undemanding - requiring little if any patience or effort or skill; "the pay was adequate and the job undemanding"; "simple undemanding affection"; "an undemanding boss" effortless - requiring or apparently requiring no effort; "the swallows glided in an effortless way through the busy air" soft - compassionate and kind; conciliatory; "he was soft on his children" simple - having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved; "a simple problem"; "simple mechanisms"; "a simple design"; "a simple substance" difficult, hard - not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure; "a difficult task"; "nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access"; "difficult times"; "why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?" | | 2. | easy - not hurried or forced; "an easy walk around the block"; "at a leisurely (or easygoing) pace"unhurried - relaxed and leisurely; without hurry or haste; "people strolling about in an unhurried way"; "an unhurried walk"; "spoke in a calm and unhurried voice" | | 3. | easy - free from worry or anxiety; "knowing that I had done my best, my mind was easy"; "an easy good-natured manner"; "by the time the chsild faced the actual problem of reading she was familiar and at ease with all the elements words"comfortable - free from stress or conducive to mental ease; having or affording peace of mind; "was settled in a comfortable job, one for which he was well prepared"; "the comfortable thought that nothing could go wrong"; "was comfortable in his religious beliefs"; "she's a comfortable person to be with"; "she felt comfortable with her fiance's parents" relaxed - without strain or anxiety; "gave the impression of being quite relaxed"; "a relaxed and informal discussion" uneasy - lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance; "farmers were uneasy until rain finally came"; "uneasy about his health"; "gave an uneasy laugh"; "uneasy lies the head that wears the crown"; "an uneasy coalition government"; "an uneasy calm"; "an uneasy silence fell on the group" | | 4. | easy - affording pleasure; "easy good looks"pleasing - giving pleasure and satisfaction; "a pleasing piece of news"; "pleasing in manner and appearance" | | 5. | easy - having little impact; "an easy pat on the shoulder"; "gentle rain"; "a gentle breeze"; "a soft (or light) tapping at the window"light - of little intensity or power or force; "the light touch of her fingers"; "a light breeze" | | 6. | easy - readily exploited or tricked; "an easy victim"; "an easy mark" | | 7. |  easy - in fortunate circumstances financially; moderately rich; "they were comfortable or even wealthy by some standards"; "easy living"; "a prosperous family"; "his family is well-situated financially"; "well-to-do members of the community"rich - possessing material wealth; "her father is extremely rich"; "many fond hopes are pinned on rich uncles" | | 8. | easy - marked by moderate steepness; "an easy climb"; "a gentle slope"gradual - (of a topographical gradient) not steep or abrupt; "a gradual slope" | | 9. | easy - affording comfort; "soft light that was easy on the eyes"comfortable, comfy - providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (`comfy' is informal); "comfortable clothes"; "comfortable suburban houses"; "made himself comfortable in an armchair"; "the antihistamine made her feel more comfortable"; "are you comfortable?"; "feeling comfy now?" | | 10. |  easy - casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior; "her easy virtue"; "he was told to avoid loose (or light) women"; "wanton behavior"unchaste - not chaste; "unchaste conduct" | | 11. | easy - less in demand and therefore readily obtainable; "commodities are easy this quarter"available - obtainable or accessible and ready for use or service; "kept a fire extinguisher available"; "much information is available through computers"; "available in many colors"; "the list of available candidates is unusually long" | | 12. | easy - obtained with little effort or sacrifice, often obtained illegally; "easy money"abundant - present in great quantity; "an abundant supply of water" | | Adv. | 1. | easy - with ease (`easy' is sometimes used informally for `easily'); "she was easily excited"; "was easily confused"; "he won easily"; "this china breaks very easily"; "success came too easy"colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech | | 2. | easy - without speed (`slow' is sometimes used informally for `slowly'); "he spoke slowly"; "go easy here--the road is slippery"; "glaciers move tardily"; "please go slow so I can see the sights"colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech | | 3. | easy - in a relaxed manner; or without hardship; "just wanted to take it easy" (`soft' is nonstandard)colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech |
easy adjective 1. simple, straightforward, no trouble, not difficult, effortless, painless, clear, light, uncomplicated, child's play ( informal) plain sailing, undemanding, a pushover ( slang) a piece of cake ( informal) no bother, a bed of roses, easy-peasy ( slang) << OPPOSITE hard 2. untroubled, contented, relaxed, satisfied, calm, peaceful, serene, tranquil, quiet, undisturbed, unworried adjective 3. relaxed, friendly, open, natural, pleasant, casual, informal, laid-back ( informal) graceful, gracious, unaffected, easy-going, affable, unpretentious, unforced, undemanding, unconstrained, unceremonious << OPPOSITE stiff adjective 5. tolerant, light, liberal, soft, flexible, mild, laid-back ( informal) indulgent, easy-going, lenient, permissive, unoppressive << OPPOSITE strict adjective 6. ( Informal) accommodating, yielding, manageable, easy-going, compliant, amenable, submissive, docile, pliant, tractable, biddable << OPPOSITE difficult  Translations easy [ˈiːzɪ] adj → fácil; [ life] → holgado, cómodo (= relaxed); naturaladv to take it or things easy (= not worry) → no preocuparse (= go slowly); tomarlo con calma (= rest); descansar; payment on easy terms ( COMM) → facilidades de pago; I'm easy ( col) → me da igual, no me importa;
 easy [ˈiːzɪ] adj → facile; [ manner] → aisé(e)adv to take it or things easy (= rest) → ne pas se fatiguer (= not worry); ne pas (trop) s'en faire; payment on easy terms ( Comm) → facilités fpl de paiement;
 easy [ˈiːzɪ] adj → leicht; payment on easy terms → Zahlung zu günstigen Bedingungen;
 easy [ˈiːzɪ] adj → facile; [ manner] → disinvolto/a (= carefree) [ life] → agiato/a, tranquillo/aadv to take it or things easy → prendersela con calma; I'm easy ( col) → non ho problemi; payment on easy terms ( COMM) → facilitazioni fpl di pagamento
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