WordValeeasement
a right to use another person's land for a specific purpose
In more detail
1. (noun) a legal right that allows someone to use another person's land for a specific purpose, such as building a road or running a utility line across it
2. (noun) the act of making something easier or less severe; a reduction in pain, pressure, or difficulty
Examples
- 1. The utility company has an easement that allows them to run power lines through the property.
- 2. The medication provided some easement of her symptoms.
How to use easement
The legal meaning (sense 1) is the primary modern usage, referring to a formal property right documented in deeds and recorded in land registries. Sense 2 (relief from pain or pressure) is now archaic or literary, preserved mainly in historical texts or formal writing. In contemporary legal and real estate contexts, 'easement' almost exclusively refers to property rights.
Common phrases
- right of way
- utility easement
- easement agreement
- ease of access
- grant an easement
- easement clause
Synonyms
reduction · relief · alleviation · lightening · mitigation
Opposites
burden · hardship · aggravation
Word family
ease (verb/noun) · eased (adjective) · easily (adverb) · easer (noun)
A common mistake
Learners often confuse easement with 'ease' itself or mistakenly treat it as a count noun when discussing multiple instances without saying 'easement rights' or 'multiple easements.' Another error is using it to mean simply 'convenience' rather than a formal legal or physical reduction.
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