Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1100-1200
Language: Old French
Origin: aisié, from aise; EASE1

easy

1 adjective
     
eas‧y1 S1 W1 comparative easier, superlative easiest
1

not difficult

not difficult to do, and not needing much effort [≠ difficult, hard]:
The test was easy.
Finishing the task will not be easy.
There must be an easier way to do that.
easy to do something
It's a great car, and very easy to drive.
instructions that are easy to follow
It would have been easy for the team to lose the game.
make it easier (to do something)
The software makes it easier to download music.
Having you here does make things a lot easier for me.
The station is within easy reach of (=close to) the town centre.
The park is within easy walking distance (=close enough to walk to).
2

comfortable

comfortable or relaxed, and without problems [≠ hard]:
On the whole, Dad has had an easy life.
easy day/week etc
She had a nice easy day at home.
You can have an easy time of it now that the kids have all left home.
Why don't we make life easy for ourselves and finish it tomorrow?
3

not worried

not feeling worried or anxious [≠ uneasy]:
We talk more openly when we feel easy and relaxed.
I can leave the children with my mother with an easy mind.
4

friendly

friendly and pleasant with other people:
She is gentle and easy to be with.
5

easily attacked

able to be hunted or attacked without difficulty:
The soldiers on the streets are an easy target for terrorists.
Tourists are easy prey for thieves.
6

take the easy way out

to end a situation in a way that seems easy, but is not the best or most sensible way:
I just took the easy way out and gave him some cash.
7

have an easy time (of it)

to have no problems or difficulties:
She's not been having an easy time of it financially.
8

easy money

money that you do not have to work hard to get:
We can buy them for $10 and sell them for $25 - easy money.
9

easy on the eye/ear

pleasant to look at or listen to:
Soft colours are easy on the eye.
10

it's/that's easy for you to say

spoken used when someone has given you some advice that would be difficult for you to follow
11

there are no easy answers

used when saying that it is difficult to find a good way of dealing with a problem
12

I'm easy

spoken used to say that you do not mind what choice is made:
'What would you like to do now?' 'I don't know, I'm easy.'
13

be (living) on easy street

informal, especially American English to be in a situation in which you have plenty of money:
If I get this new job, we'll be living on easy street.
14

on easy terms

BBT if you buy something on easy terms, you pay for it with several small payments instead of paying the whole amount at once:
New settlers in the west could buy land on relatively easy terms.
15

eggs over easy

American EnglishDF eggs cooked on a hot surface and turned over quickly before serving
16

woman/lady/girl of easy virtue

old-fashioned a woman who has sex with a lot of men
17

sex

informal someone, especially a woman, who is easy has a lot of sexual partners
➔ ease, easilyWORD FOCUS: easy WORD FOCUS: easy
easy to do: simple, not difficult
very easy to do: be a piece of cake, be child's play, be a snap American English, be a doddle British English, anyone can do it, be like falling off a log informal
easy to use: user-friendly
easy job: cushy informal
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
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