Easy-going means relaxed, tolerant and easy to get on with. It describes a person who does not get stressed about small things, is not fussy and accepts changes calmly.
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easy-going + person/boss/teacher; be easy-going about + noun/-ing; easy to get along with
- My flatmate is really easy-going, so we've never argued about cleaning.
- Our teacher was easy-going about homework but very strict about plagiarism.
- I'd like an easy-going travel partner who doesn't mind changing plans.
What changed
First versionMy new boss is a very light person, so the team feels relaxed.
RevisionMy new boss is a very easy-going person, so the team feels relaxed.
In English, light does not describe character. It is about weight, colour or food: a light bag, light blue, a light lunch. For a person who is easy to be around, the word is easy-going, and the correction changes only that word.
It is better not to describe a person simply as easy. In informal speech it can sound ambiguous, like a comment on someone's sexual behaviour. If you mean that someone is easy to be with, add a continuation: He's easy to talk to, She's easy to work with.
Your turn
Ben never gets angry when plans change at the last minute; he's really ___.
Show the answer
easy-going — The sentence describes Ben's character: he reacts calmly when plans change, which is exactly what easy-going means. Easy on its own does not mean “calm” when it describes a person, and it can sound ambiguous; for character it is used only with a continuation, such as easy to work with.
Describe a person who is easy to work, study or travel with. Say who it is and give one example of a time they stayed calm.
My colleague Irina is very easy-going: when a client cancelled our meeting, she just laughed and rescheduled it.
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