in your element

Meaning

1. 1phraseidiominformal

   In a situation or activity that suits you perfectly, so that you feel confident, relaxed and at your best.

   Grammar: Follows be or feel, and the pronoun matches the subject: she was in her element.

   Patterns

   • be in your element
   • feel in your element
   • in your element doing something

   Give Tom a kitchen and a crowd to feed, and he is in his element.

   My sister was in her element organizing the school trip.

   Once the band started playing, the singer was clearly in her element.

Common combinations

be in your element

On stage, she is truly in her element.

feel in your element

I never feel in my element at formal parties.

clearly in your element

The teacher was clearly in her element with the young children.

completely in your element

On the mountain trail he was completely in his element.

in your element again

Back at the lab, they were in their element again.

Synonyms and how they differ

at home

At home is a gentler idea of feeling comfortable, whereas in your element suggests you also perform especially well.

in your comfort zone

Comfort zone points to safety and familiarity, while in your element points to enjoyment and skill.

in your groove

In your groove is more informal and stresses working smoothly over a period.

Opposites

Word family

element noun

a basic part of something, or the natural setting for a person or animal

elemental adjective

basic, or relating to the forces of nature

elementary adjective

simple or at a basic level

Commonly confused: in your element or in your elements?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “in your element”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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