ease

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. comfort, luxury; rest, repose; content, enjoyment, complacency; relief; leisure, convenience; facility, readiness, expertness; unconstraint, naturalness. See pleasure, elegance. —v. mitigate, lessen, relax; facilitate, smooth, cushion. Ant., discomfort, difficulty.

- at ease

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [Freedom from pain or anxiety]

Syn. comfort, rest, quietness, peace, relaxed physical state, tranquil rest, relaxation, leisure, repose, easiness, satisfaction, well-being, calm, calmness, restfulness, serenity, security, tranquillity, ataraxia, bed of roses, solace, consolation.

Ant. pain*, discomfort, stress.

2. [Freedom from difficulty]

Syn. facility, adroitness, expertise, expertness, dispatch, efficiency, knack, readiness, quickness, skillfulness, dexterity, artfulness, cleverness, smoothness, effortlessness, child's play, clear sailing, snap*, breeze*, cinch*; see also cinch .

Ant. difficulty, trouble, clumsiness.

3. [Freedom from stiffness or awkwardness]

Syn. naturalness, poise, familiarity; see composure , informality .

4. [Freedom from poverty]

Syn. affluence, prosperity, comfort; see luxury 1 , wealth 2 .

• at ease,

Syn. relaxed, collected, untroubled, carefree; see calm 1 , comfortable 1 .

• take one's ease,

Syn. be calm, rest, be comfortable; see relax 1 .

v.

1. [To relieve of pain]

Syn. alleviate, allay, relieve, mitigate, lessen, assuage, tranquilize, sedate, drug, administer an opiate, administer a sedative, anesthetize, render less painful, give relief, comfort, give an anesthetic, fit a splint, relieve pressure, cure, attend to, doctor, nurse, ameliorate, restore to health, palliate, soothe, abate, reduce, lighten, poultice, meliorate.

Ant. hurt*, injure, aggravate.

2. [To lessen pressure or tension]

Syn. slacken, loosen, relax, prop up, lift, hold up, set at ease, make comfortable, comfort, raise, disburden, unburden, release, soften, give repose to, free from anxiety, relieve, relieve one's mind, lighten, let up on, give rest to, quiet, calm, pacify, soothe, cheer; see also comfort .

Ant. weight*, tighten, distress.

3. [To move carefully]

Syn. maneuver, guide, induce, extricate, disentangle, set right, fit, insert, join, facilitate, slide, inch, edge, shift, handle.

Ant. force, shove, blunder.

4. [To make easier]

Syn. facilitate, expedite, smooth the way; see help 1 , promote 1 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

1. comfort well-being, peace, rest, contentment, *peace of mind, relaxation, tranquility, relief, serenity, leisure.

2. easiness facility, readiness, effortlessness, freedom, *a snap, *child's play, *duck soup, *a walk on the beach, a breeze, *a cinch.

ANT.: 1. discomfort, pain, difficulty. 2. difficulty, hardship

II

v.

alleviate, lessen, relieve, moderate, comfort, mitigate, diminish, assuage, lighten, simplify, mollify, quiet, smooth.

ANT.: aggravate, worsen

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun 1. Freedom, especially from pain: alleviation, assuagement, mitigation, palliation, relief. See INCREASE. 2. Freedom from constraint, formality, embarrassment, or awkwardness: casualness, easiness, informality, naturalness, poise, spontaneity, unceremoniousness, unrestraint. See RESTRAINT, TIGHTEN. 3. Freedom from labor, responsibility, or strain: leisure, relaxation, repose, rest1. See CONTINUE. 4. The ability to perform without apparent effort: easiness, effortlessness, facileness, facility, readiness. See EASY. 5. Steady good fortune or financial security: comfort, prosperity, prosperousness. Informal: easy street. Idioms: comfortable (or easy) circumstances, the good life. See RICH, THRIVE. II verb 1. To make less severe or more bearable: allay, alleviate, assuage, comfort, lessen, lighten2, mitigate, palliate, relieve. See INCREASE. 2. To reduce in tension, pressure, or rigidity: let up, loose, loosen, relax, slack, slacken, untighten. See TIGHTEN. 3. To become or cause to become less active or intense. Also used with off on up: abate, bate, die (away, down, off, or out), ebb, fall, fall off, lapse, let up, moderate, remit, slacken, slack off, subside, wane. See INCREASE. 4. To make less difficult: expedite, facilitate. Idioms: clear (or prepare) the way for, grease the wheels, open the door for (or to). See EASY. 5. To maneuver gently and slowly into place: glide, slide, slip. See CAREFUL, EASY. 6. To advance carefully and gradually: edge, sidle. See CAREFUL, MOVE.