As an example, consider this sentence:
When Roger Federer plays tennis, he just "makes it look so easy".
A single word or maybe a smaller phrase that I could replace it with?
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7 Answers
"Roger Federer plays tennis effortlessly".
It is shorter, but "makes it looks easy" is better writing, IMHO. Brevity is not ALWAYS the soul of wit.
answered Aug 9, 2011 at 15:35
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Does effortlessly not imply that it actually requires no effort, rather than seeming to not require any effort? Federer might be exhausted by the end, he simply doesn't show it. Then it's not effortless.– FlaterJul 28, 2017 at 15:30
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@Flater Quite so. "Roger Federer appears to play tennis effortlessly" or "Roger Federer plays match-winning tennis that looks effortless", for example, would be more accurate. Effortless, however, is a great answer.– NMISep 3, 2017 at 13:34
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1Sounds unnatural and not an idiom in AmE to say *makes it to look easy.– rajah9Apr 20, 2020 at 12:32
In addition to the other answers which have discussed your specific example, if you want to generalize a task is easy for someone expert at it, the popular phrases are
That was a "piece of cake" for him
That was "easy as pie" for him
and a single word,
That was a "cakewalk" for him
Examples from the link above -
"winning the tournament was a cakewalk for him"; "invading Iraq won't be a cakewalk"
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2So the original sentence could be rephrased as "For Roger Federer, tennis is a cakewalk"? Aug 9, 2011 at 16:04
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@Frust: Grammatically Yes. But in reality, I would say "That match was an absolute cakewalk for Roger" and it would be correct. For Roger might not feel tennis is always a cakewalk.– JoseKAug 9, 2011 at 16:06
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2I guess when you say "cakewalk", it would mean that it was an easy match for Roger. But when I say "makes it look easy", what I am trying to convey here is, when Roger plays the game, it doesn't matter how tough his opponent is, but he seems to play it in an effortless manner as @Chris B. Behrens put it.– gofeddyAug 9, 2011 at 16:14
I don't think there is such a one word version of that idea in English.
To say Roger Federer plays tennis "effortlessly" is decidedly NOT the same thing as him making it look easy. In fact, the magic of some gifted athletes--this is often said of figure ice skaters--is that they make something that is, even for them, obviously difficult and full of effort look easy.
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Agreed - there is a difference between merely doing something effortlessly and doing something in a way that makes it APPEAR effortless. But it was the closest thing I could come up with that was also shorter...that's part of way I recommended not using it :). Aug 10, 2011 at 15:04
You can use the phrase "and as always, it seems so effortless for him." In the sentence it would be "That match seemed so effortless for Roger Federer, as always."
@Chris B. Behrens correctly identifies the intended meaning in OP's context, but the question title is at the very least ambiguous.
We can assume that when Roger Federer plays tennis, his primary concern is to win the match. He's not really interested in showing others how easy it is to become a world-class player. OP's sentence is a simple description of how he plays (or appears to play, since I'm sure in reality it's not at all easy, even for him).
On the other hand, if a skilled teacher makes it look easy he is doing something totally different, and he may in fact need to put considerable effort into successfully demystifying his subject.
answered Aug 9, 2011 at 15:58
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I understand the ambiguity in the question title. I guess it should be "makes it look easy" in the context of a person 'doing/working' on something rather than actually "making things seem easier to understand" for someone else.– gofeddyAug 9, 2011 at 16:08
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@venividivamos: If we're going to be precise, "making things seem easier to understand" isn't really what you want a good teacher to do. You want him to really make them easier to understand, not just seem so. Unlike in Federer's case, where we don't really care how hard it really is for him - just that he doesn't seem to be struggling. Aug 9, 2011 at 17:08
A few other options are:
to perform in a facile, fluent, or adroit manner,
or to perform with aplomb, facility, fluency, or composure.
In some contexts you could even use nonchalant or insouciant.
Even though it may not directly be a good answer to the OP's question, I thought it would be good to mention the Dictionary.com word of the day: ballon, which was the impetus to pose myself the same question the OP did. This refers to the quality a skilled ballerina possesses to be able to appear to float.
Sprezzatura- a nonchalant stance to conceal the exertion and thought behind the required art and actual effort. - studied carelessness
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Hi Danny, welcome to EL&U. This is a great word, but you haven't cited and linked to a source for your definition, so readers can't tell whether it's true or you've just made it up. An answer on EL&U is expected to be authoritative, detailed, and explain why it is correct. If you edit your answer to add a published definition of sprezzatura (linked to the source) and ideally some real examples of its use, I would be delighted to upvote your post. For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-) Feb 1, 2019 at 3:35