Meaning & use
easily
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Meanings
adverbnot comparable
In a way that takes little effort or causes no trouble.
Grammar: Goes after the verb or before the main verb: she won easily.
Patterns
- win easily
- can easily do something
- pass easily
She solved the puzzle easily in under a minute.
The lid comes off easily if you twist it.
The team easily beat their rivals.
adverbnot comparableinformal
Without doubt, used to stress that something is the best, biggest or worst of its kind.
Grammar: Goes before a superlative: easily the best.
Patterns
- easily the best
- easily the biggest
This is easily the best pizza in town.
He is easily the tallest player on the team.
It was easily the coldest night of the winter.
adverbnot comparable
Very likely, or with little reason for doubt, often used with can or could.
Grammar: Used with modals: it could easily rain.
Patterns
- could easily do something
- may easily happen
It could easily snow tonight.
The meeting may easily run past noon.
You could easily mistake the twins for each other.
adverbnot comparable
In a relaxed, calm way without pressure.
Grammar: Often with breathe or move: breathe easily.
Patterns
- breathe easily
- rest easily
After the news, she could finally breathe easily.
He moves easily among strangers.
Word forms
| comparative | more easily |
|---|---|
| superlative | most easily |
Common combinations
- win easily
- The home side won easily.
- easily done
- Mistakes like that are easily done.
- easily the best
- It's easily the best film this year.
- easily accessible
- The library is easily accessible by bus.
- breathe easily
- I can breathe easily again.
- easily distracted
- Puppies are easily distracted.
Synonyms and how they differ
- effortlessly
- Effortlessly stresses the lack of visible effort, often with admiration, so it sounds more graceful than easily.
- readily
- Readily suggests willingness or speed, as in readily available, rather than lack of difficulty.
- comfortably
- Comfortably is used for winning or passing with room to spare, and it carries a sense of safety.
- simply
- Simply means in a plain way or only, and it only sometimes overlaps with easily.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: easily or easy?
easily vs easy
Easy is an adjective. Use easily to modify a verb, as in she passed easily, not she passed easy in formal writing.
Practice
The final exam was so basic that most students passed it ____.
Choose one answer.
Easily is the adverb needed to modify the verb passed. Easy is an adjective, easiest is a superlative, and ease is a noun or verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “easily”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.