The Difference Between Simple and Easy

The Difference Between Simple and Easy Is it simple, or is it easy? Lets put it this way, there are a lot of things that are simple, but arent in the least bit easy, and there are other differences too. Lets start with that first one. You want to write a book. Its simple, isnt it? All you need to do is sit down in front of the computer and type. But is that easy? The day you decide to begin writing, your kids decide to invite all their friends over resulting in a houseful of chaos. The six hours of quiet time you planned for writing never materializes. On the second day, you set aside the time but also come down with a case of writers block. The knowledge of what you need to do is simple to understand, but actually doing it isnt as easy as you imagined. You decide youd like to become a rock star. Its simple. All you have to do is learn to play guitar really well, write a good song, and capture the attention of a powerful person in the music business. Is it easy? Probably not. Learning to play the guitar will take years of practice, youve got a tin ear, and as for the song and the high-powered producer, even once you learn to play, neither of those goals is easy. You want to live forever. Its simple! All you have to do is avoid dying. Oh dear! Thats impossible! Douglas Adams said that flying is as simple as falling and not hitting the ground. How I wish it was easy to do that! Despite numerous attempts, I still havent gotten it right. Yes, there are a lot of things that are simple but arent easy. There are even simple things that are absolutely impossible. Living the Simple Life vs Living an Easy Life Easy living and simple living are two different things. Living a simple life means having few material things, doing things the natural way, and avoiding complications like debts. Easy living, on the other hand, is usually associated with having all the luxuries that money can buy! Whats more, the simple life is hard work, but the easy life means avoiding hard work at all costs. Being Simple and Being Easy Saying that someone is a bit simple means that theyre actually a little stupid. As for saying someone is easy, there are various interpretations, one of them being that theyre laid-back and relaxed, while the other is far less complimentary, but as you can see, being easy is definitely not the same thing as being simple. Sometimes Simple Things Really Are Easy Lets get serious now. I went and hunted through online dictionaries to get all the possible meanings of these two words. I must say, a lot of the dictionary entries were disappointing because they didnt have all the possible definitions. I soon found that simply getting a complete dictionary entry, while it should be simple, isnt easy. Then I had an Aha moment and hit the Oxford English Dictionary. What an easy solution and it was simple too! Definitions of Simple Simple can indeed mean that something is easy. 1 + 1 = 2 is a very simple bit of math. Something that is basic or fundamental is also simple. Its a simple truth: falling and missing the ground is impossible. Simple can also be used to show that something isnt complicated or fancy. She wore a simple black dress. In scholarly language, it could mean that a thing isnt in a compound form. That applies to math, botany, and English grammar. As weve seen, it could mean that someone is a bit dumb. And historically, a simple was a medicinal herb. Definitions of Easy An easy thing is one that is not difficult to do. It was easy to walk up the hill. An easy life is laid back and free of worry. I want the easy life of someone who inherited a million dollars. It could mean that someone is free of awkwardness: He won them over with his easy charm, or Her easy manner made her popular. Unfortunately, it can also mean that someone or something is vulnerable. Women who walk alone at night are easy targets for criminals. It can even be an insult. She has a reputation for being easy. Lastly, you can use easy as an exclamation: Easy, Butch! Dont bark so excitedly! Similar, but Not Quite the Same There are times when easy and simple are interchangeable, but there are times when they arent. It all depends on context. By now, youre an expert on the differences and similarities between simple and easy. Wasnt that simple? It was easy too!