INDEX:
1. easy to do, use, or understand
2. to be very easy to do
3. an easy job or way of life
4. when someone can do something easily
5. the easiest way to do something
6. to make something easier for someone to do
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ DIFFICULT
see also
↑ SIMPLE
↑ COMPLICATED
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1. easy to do, use, or understand
▷ easy /ˈiːzi/ [adjective]
not difficult to do, use, or understand :
▪ The questions were really easy.
▪ It’s an easy journey - we just drive to the station, then take the direct train to Paris.
▪ Our new computer system should make the work a lot easier.
easy to read/use/learn etc
▪ All the instructions are in large print to make them easy to read.
it is easy to do something
▪ It is easy to see why she didn’t marry him.
easy for somebody to do something
▪ Was it easy for you to find a job?
find something easy/find it easy to do something
▪ Susan’s always found school work easy.
▪ He doesn’t find it easy to talk about his personal feelings.
easily [adverb]
▪ E-mail enables people to communicate easily and inexpensively with each other on a regular basis.
▷ not difficult/hard /nɒt ˈdɪfɪk ə lt, ˈhɑːʳd/ [adjective]
easy not hard is more informal than not difficult :
▪ ‘Did you make this pizza yourself?’ ‘Yes, it’s not difficult.’
it’s not difficult to do something
▪ It’s not difficult to see why she’s unhappy all the time.
▪ The reason for the problem is not hard to find.
▷ simple /ˈsɪmp ə l/ [adjective]
easy to understand or do because it is not complicated - use this about things like explanations or instructions, or about machines or systems :
▪ She drew us a simple map so that we wouldn’t get lost.
▪ I like this recipe because it’s so simple.
be simple to use/make/prepare etc
▪ The new photocopier is much simpler to use than the one we had before.
▷ straightforward /ˌstreɪtˈfɔːʳwəʳd◂/ [adjective]
easy to understand and easy to do, so someone should not have any problems - use this especially about a method or process :
▪ It is very straightforward - you just type the file name, then press ‘Enter’.
▪ There’s a straightforward calculation for working out how much tax you have to pay.
▷ user-friendly /ˌjuːzəʳ ˈfrendli◂/ [adjective] spoken
easy to use or understand - use this especially about computers or written information :
▪ We are trying to develop software that is more user-friendly.
▪ The booklet is intended to be a user-friendly guide to pension schemes.
2. to be very easy to do
▷ be a cinch/a piece of cake /biː ə ˈsɪntʃ, ə ˌpiːs əv ˈkeɪk/ [verb phrase] spoken informal :
▪ If you can learn Japanese, learning French should be a piece of cake.
▪ Don’t worry about the exam. It’ll be a cinch!
be a cinch to learn/drive/use etc
▪ My new car’s a cinch to drive, compared to the old one.
▷ be a doddle British informal /be a snap/a breeze American informal /biː ə ˈdɒdlǁ-ˈdɑːdl, biː ə ˈsnæp, ə ˈbriːz/ [verb phrase]
▪ ‘You passed your driving test?’ ‘Yes -- it was a doddle!’
▪ Managing a team of businessmen is a snap compared to a team of twelve-year-olds.
a doddle/snap/breeze to do something
▪ It’s a snap to make this sauce if you have a few basic ingredients in the cupboard.
▷ be child’s play /biː ˈtʃaɪldz pleɪ/ [verb phrase]
use this when saying that something is surprisingly easy for someone to do, or that something is very easy compared to something else :
▪ Persuading people to give away their money is child’s play when you know how.
▪ Life today is child’s play compared to how it was 100 years ago.
▷ there’s nothing to it /ðeəʳz ˌnʌθɪŋ ˈtuː ɪt/ spoken
say this when it is easy for you to do something, even though other people think it is difficult :
▪ ‘Oh, great! You’ve fixed the washing machine.’ ‘Yeah, there was nothing to it, really.’
▷ anyone can do something /ˈeniwʌn kən duː something/
use this to say that something is so easy that everyone could do it :
▪ Anyone can learn to cook.
▪ I don’t know why you think you’re so clever -- anyone can do that.
▪ Politicians insist that there are plenty of jobs and that anyone can get one if they really try.
▷ be a pushover /biː ə ˈpʊʃəʊvəʳ/ [verb phrase]
someone who is a pushover is very easy to defeat, persuade etc :
▪ The kids all think their new English teacher’s a real pushover.
be no pushover
not be easy to defeat, persuade etc
▪ Colonel Moore was no pushover. He wouldn’t let anyone tell him what to do.
▷ like taking candy from a baby /laɪk teɪkɪŋ ˌkændi frəm ə ˈbeɪbi/ spoken
extremely easy :
▪ Sally smiled to herself. It was easy to attract men. Like taking candy from a baby.
3. an easy job or way of life
▷ easy /ˈiːzi/ [adjective]
▪ He has lived an easy life in college for the last few years.
▪ Being a teacher isn’t easy.
have it easy
have a very easy life
▪ Lawyers really have it easy -- lots of money for very little work.
▷ cushy /ˈkʊʃi/ [adjective] informal
very easy - use this especially when you think that someone has an extremely easy job or life and you are jealous of them or do not approve of them :
▪ Eventually he got a cushy job as a newspaper correspondent in Madrid.
▪ Being a stewardess is not a cushy lifestyle - it’s very hard work.
a cushy number
British a cushy job or way of life
▪ What a cushy number, living rent-free in return for taking the dog out once a day!
▷ coast /kəʊst/ [intransitive verb]
to not have to make much effort in your job or school work because the work is easy for you to do :
▪ If you feel that you’ve been coasting in your job, perhaps it’s time for a change.
coast along
▪ Laura was a bright kid and she could coast along at school without too much effort.
4. when someone can do something easily
▷ easily /ˈiːzɪli, ˈiːzəli/ [adverb]
▪ A burglar could easily climb in through that window.
▪ When I went to college, I made friends very easily.
easily recognized/damaged/done etc
when something can be recognized, damaged etc easily
▪ These plates are easily damaged, so please be careful with them.
▪ Lizzie and Jane are so alike that they’re easily mistaken for each other.
▷ effortless /ˈefəʳtləs/ [adjective]
something that is effortless is done in a way that makes it seem very easy, although in fact it is very skilful :
▪ The way she dances makes it seem so effortless.
▪ Other musicians were amazed by Parker’s effortless improvisational skill.
effortlessly [adverb]
▪ Greg’s a great cook, and he does it all so effortlessly!
▷ come naturally /ˌkʌm ˈnætʃ ə rəli/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
if something comes naturally to you, you seem to have a natural ability to do it, so that you can do it well without having to try hard :
▪ Her family are all actors, so it probably comes naturally.
come naturally to
▪ Speaking in public seems to come quite naturally to her.
▪ Looking after babies doesn’t come naturally to all new mothers.
▷ can do something with your eyes shut/standing on your head/blindfolded /kən duː something wɪð jɔːr ˈaɪz ˌʃʌt, ˌstændɪŋ ɒn jɔːʳ ˈhed, ˈblaɪndˌfəʊldə̇d/ [verb phrase]
to be able to do something very easily, especially because you have done it so many times before :
▪ He’s a really good mechanic -- he could change a tyre standing on his head.
▪ Don’t worry. I’ve driven to the Bronx so many times, I could do it standing on my head.
▷ think nothing of /ˌθɪŋk ˈnʌθɪŋ ɒv/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to think that something is a very easy and normal thing to do, although most people think it is difficult and unusual :
▪ Emily thinks nothing of preparing a meal for twenty people.
▪ Before cars were invented, people thought nothing of walking six miles to work.
▷ breeze/breeze through /briːz, ˈbriːz θruː/ [] informal
to win or succeed in something easily :
▪ McKenzie breezed the first three rounds of the tournament.
▪ She’s likely to breeze through this game, but the next might not be so easy.
5. the easiest way to do something
▷ the easy way /ði ˈiːzi ˌweɪ/ [noun phrase]
▪ The easiest way of making money is to get other people to do it for you.
do things the easy way
▪ As a student, Louise was lazy, and always did things the easy way.
take the easy way out
avoid the difficult or best way by doing something that is easier
▪ I decided to take the easy way out and take a different class.
▷ easy option /ˌiːzɪ ˈɒpʃ ə n‖-ˈɑːp-/ also soft option British /ˌsɒft ˈɒpʃ ə nǁˌsɔːft ˈɑːp-/ [countable noun]
if someone takes the easy option they choose to do the easiest thing they can, rather than something that is better but more difficult, because they are lazy :
take the easy/soft option
▪ Instead of working to keep their marriages, more and more people are taking the easy option and getting divorced.
be an easy/soft option
▪ Some people think that studying languages instead of sciences is a soft option.
6. to make something easier for someone to do
▷ make something easier /ˌmeɪk something ˈiːziəʳ/ [verb phrase]
▪ The new system will make buying and selling houses much easier.
make it easier for somebody to do something
▪ Health authorities want to make it easier for patients to be treated at home.
make things/life easier
▪ We’ve got a new secretary starting tomorrow -- that should make things easier.
▪ It would make life a lot easier if there was a reliable train service.
▷ simplify /ˈsɪmplɪfaɪ, ˈsɪmpləfaɪ/ [transitive verb]
to make something easier to understand, by removing the parts that cause difficulty or problems :
▪ The whole university admissions procedure has been simplified.
▷ facilitate /fəˈsɪlɪteɪt, fəˈsɪləteɪt/ [transitive verb] formal
to make it easier for a process to happen or for someone to do something :
▪ Both centers are electronically linked to facilitate communication.
▪ Legislation is urgently needed to facilitate police counterterrorist operations.
▷ smooth the way /ˌsmuːð ðə ˈweɪ/ [verb phrase]
to make it easier for someone to do something or for something to happen, by dealing with any problem that might prevent it :
▪ Our representatives will be waiting for you to arrive, and ready to help smooth the way.
smooth the way for
▪ It is hoped that the negotiations will smooth the way for an agreement later this year.
▷ ease /iːz/ [transitive verb]
to make it easier for a process to happen or move forward, especially by officially changing something that has previously been making it difficult :
▪ The help of UN experts eased the transition to independence.
▪ We need to get rid of Africa’s long-term debt burden, and ease trade and commerce.
▷ spoonfeed /ˈspuːnfiːd/ [transitive verb]
to make it too easy for someone to do something by giving them too much information and help, so that they do not learn for themselves :
▪ Don’t spoonfeed him -- he’s got to learn how to do things for himself!
▪ Spoonfeeding students is never a good idea -- they always fail when it comes to exams.