Meaning & use
user-friendly
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparableapproving
Easy for people to learn and operate, especially describing software, devices and instructions.
Grammar: Comparative: more user-friendly. It works before a noun or after be.
Patterns
- user-friendly interface
- be user-friendly
The new app has a clean, user-friendly design.
The manual is much more user-friendly than the old one.
They chose a user-friendly website builder for the small shop.
Word forms
| comparative | more user-friendly |
|---|---|
| superlative | most user-friendly |
Common combinations
- user-friendly interface
- The camera has a user-friendly interface.
- user-friendly design
- A user-friendly design helps new customers.
- more user-friendly
- The update made the menu more user-friendly.
- user-friendly software
- Teachers prefer user-friendly software.
- remarkably user-friendly
- The tool is remarkably user-friendly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- easy to use
- Easy to use is the plain phrase and works in any context, while user-friendly is more of a marketing word.
- intuitive
- Intuitive stresses that you can use something without being taught, which is a stronger claim.
- accessible
- Accessible often refers to being usable by people with disabilities or beginners, so it is more specific.
- straightforward
- Straightforward fits simple processes and instructions as well as devices.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: user-friendly or user-friendly vs friendly user?
user-friendly vs user-friendly vs friendly user
A user-friendly app is easy to use; a friendly user would be a kind person using it.
Practice
Which phrase best matches a 'user-friendly' app?
Choose one answer.
User-friendly means easy to learn and use, so clear and simple for beginners fits. The other options describe the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “user-friendly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.