Meaning & use
cushy
Last updated
UK/ˈkʊʃi/
US/ˈkʊʃi/
Meaning
adjectivecomparableinformal
Offering an easy, comfortable situation with little hard work, often in a way that others might envy.
Grammar: Often used before a noun: a cushy job; it can be graded, as in cushier.
Patterns
- a cushy job
- a cushy life
He landed a cushy job with a long lunch break and high pay.
Her brother thinks office work is cushy compared to farming.
After years of hardship, she enjoyed a cushy retirement.
Word forms
| comparative | cushier |
|---|---|
| superlative | cushiest |
Common combinations
- cushy job
- He has a cushy job at his uncle's firm.
- cushy life
- They live a cushy life by the sea.
- cushy position
- She gave up a cushy position to start her own company.
- cushy number
- Being a night watchman is a cushy number.
- cushy retirement
- He enjoys a cushy retirement with a good pension.
Synonyms and how they differ
- easy
- Easy is neutral, while cushy adds a hint that the comfort may be undeserved.
- comfortable
- Comfortable is positive and describes a good standard of living without any suggestion of envy.
- soft
- Soft as in a soft life suggests lacking toughness, so it is more critical than cushy.
- plum
- Plum describes a job that is highly desirable and well paid, but does not stress that it is easy.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: cushy or pushy?
cushy vs pushy
Pushy means annoyingly forceful, while cushy means easy and comfortable.
Practice
Which person is most likely to describe their own job as cushy?
Choose one answer.
Cushy means easy and rewarding. The other jobs are tiring, unpaid or hard.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cushy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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