ease

[ eez ]

noun

1. freedom from labor, pain, or physical annoyance; tranquil rest; comfort:

   to enjoy one's ease.

   Synonyms: effortlessness, contentment, repose

   Antonyms: effort, discomfort

2. freedom from concern, anxiety, or solicitude; a quiet state of mind:

   to be at ease about one's health.

   Synonyms: calmness, peace, serenity, tranquility

   Antonyms: disturbance

3. freedom from difficulty or great effort; facility:

   It can be done with ease.

4. freedom from financial need; plenty:

   a life of ease on a moderate income.

5. freedom from stiffness, constraint, or formality; unaffectedness:

   ease of manner;

   the ease and elegance of her poetry.

   Synonyms: naturalness, informality

   Antonyms: tenseness, stiffness, formality

verb (used with object)

, eased, eas·ing.

1. to free from anxiety or care:

   to ease one's mind.

   Synonyms: soothe, tranquilize, disburden, relieve, comfort

2. to mitigate, lighten, or lessen:

   to ease pain.

   Synonyms: reduce, abate, allay, assuage, alleviate

3. to release from pressure, tension, or the like.
4. to move or shift with great care:

   to ease a car into a narrow parking space.

5. to render less difficult; facilitate:

   I'll help if it will ease your job.

6. to provide (an architectural member) with an easement.
7. Shipbuilding. to trim (a timber of a wooden hull) so as to fair its surface into the desired form of the hull.
8. Nautical.
   1. to bring (the helm or rudder of a vessel) slowly amidships.
   2. to bring the head of (a vessel) into the wind.
   3. to slacken or lessen the hold upon (a rope).
   4. to lessen the hold of (the brake of a windlass).

verb (used without object)

, eased, eas·ing.

1. to abate in severity, pressure, tension, etc. (often followed by off or up ).
2. to become less painful, burdensome, etc.
3. to move, shift, or be moved or be shifted with great care.

verb phrase

1. to remove from a position of authority, a job, or the like, especially by methods intended to be tactful:

   He was eased out as division head to make way for the boss's nephew.

ease

/ iːz /

noun

1. freedom from discomfort, worry, or anxiety
2. lack of difficulty, labour, or awkwardness; facility
3. rest, leisure, or relaxation
4. freedom from poverty or financial embarrassment; affluence

   a life of ease

5. lack of restraint, embarrassment, or stiffness

   his ease of manner disarmed us

6. at ease
   military
   1. (of a standing soldier, etc) in a relaxed position with the feet apart and hands linked behind the back
   2. a command to adopt such a position
   3. in a relaxed attitude or frame of mind

verb

1. to make or become less burdensome
2. tr to relieve (a person) of worry or care; comfort
3. tr to make comfortable or give rest to
4. tr to make less difficult; facilitate
5. to move or cause to move into, out of, etc, with careful manipulation

   to ease a car into a narrow space

6. whenintr, often foll by off or up to lessen or cause to lessen in severity, pressure, tension, or strain; slacken, loosen, or abate
7. ease oneself or ease nature archaic.
   to urinate or defecate
8. ease the helm
   nautical to relieve the pressure on the rudder of a vessel, esp by bringing the bow into the wind

Derived Forms

• ˈeaser, noun

Other Words From

• self-ease noun
• self-easing adjective
• well-eased adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ease¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English noun ese, eise, from Anglo-French, Old French “comfort, convenience,” from Vulgar Latin adjaces (unrecorded) “vicinity,” the regular outcome of literary Latin adjacēns adjacent; verb ultimately derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ease¹

C13: from Old French aise ease, opportunity, from Latin adjacēns neighbouring (area); see adjacent

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. at ease, Military. a position of rest in which soldiers may relax but may not leave their places or talk.

More idioms and phrases containing ease

• at ease
• ill at ease
• easily
• easy

Synonym Study

Ease, comfort refer to a sense of relaxation or of well-being. Ease implies a relaxed condition with an absence of effort or pressure: a life of ease. Comfort suggests a sense of well-being, along with ease, which produces a quiet happiness and contentment: comfort in one's old age.

Example Sentences

The government argued the legislation was needed to make the industry more sustainable and ease pressure on housing, and it was expected to easily pass with opposition support this week.

From BBC

“We’re thinking it’s going to be more of a beneficial rain,” Lewis said, noting that it could help ease some fire concerns, but likely not eliminate those worries entirely.

From Los Angeles Times

Bluesky has eased migration by offering hundreds of “starter packs,” curated lists of people to follow in different fields.

From Science Magazine

For service members, the proposal ensures the military housing allowance no longer counts against eligibility, while former foster youth would see restrictions eased to combat college hunger.

From Salon

Some volunteers who tried the narcolepsy treatment, sodium oxybate, found it eased their speech in a similar way to drinking alcohol, but without intoxication.

From BBC

Related Words

• aplomb
• composure
• dexterity
• efficiency
• familiarity
• flexibility
• fluency
• nonchalance
• poise
• quickness
• simplicity