cannot easily afford

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "cannot easily afford" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing financial limitations or the inability to pay for something without significant difficulty. Example: "Many families cannot easily afford the rising costs of healthcare."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

13 human-written examples

Ambedkar Park's entry fee of 10 rupees is a luxury she cannot easily afford.

The New York Times

And Peru, a poor country stashed with underground resources and not much else, cannot easily afford to spurn any offer of foreign investment to develop them.

The Economist

If Portuguese and Spanish debt cannot be sold at a reasonable price, the European Union will be burdened with rescues it cannot easily afford.

The New York Times

The average guy, who cannot easily afford Olympics tickets (even attending the medals ceremonies costs $21, plus service charges), has had other reasons to complain.

The New York Times - Sports

Insurers say that low-income people rely heavily on Medicare Advantage because it provides more comprehensive benefits than traditional Medicare, and they cannot easily afford supplemental policies.

The New York Times

Many returned to Medicare's fee-for-service program, but lost prescription benefits and cannot easily afford private insurance to fill the gaps.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

47 human-written examples

While Jesuit High School may easily afford high monthly fees, St. Ann's Indian School cannot.

Bplans

Microsoft can easily afford Skype.

The New York Times

Sites-and-Services programs provide only what the households cannot easily get or afford themselves: a plot of land with basic, essential utilities (clean water, sanitation, flood protection, security lighting, etc)., municipal services (refuse collection, schools, etc). and, importantly, financing.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Get a warranty to protect something that you cannot replace easily or cannot afford to replace in the future.

WikiHow

Indeed, since injections of prescription opioids and of heroin were correlated in our sample, our results are consistent with those of other reports that many heroin injectors also inject prescription opioids when they cannot easily locate heroin or cannot afford it.

BMJ Open

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "cannot easily afford", consider the context and choose synonyms if a stronger or weaker emphasis is needed. For example, use "cannot afford" for a stronger statement or "find it hard to afford" for a softer tone.

Common error

Avoid using "cannot easily afford" when "cannot afford" is more accurate. Overstating the difficulty can weaken your argument.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "cannot easily afford" functions as a descriptor of financial constraint, indicating a situation where someone faces difficulty in affording something. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness. The phrase specifies that while not entirely impossible, affording something presents a significant challenge.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

76%

Science

15%

Formal & Business

9%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "cannot easily afford" is a common and grammatically sound way to express that something is difficult to pay for without facing financial strain. As indicated by Ludwig AI, this phrase is acceptable in written English. Analysis of various sources reveals that it's frequently used in news and media, science, and formal business contexts to describe financial limitations. While alternatives exist, such as "struggle to afford" or "find it hard to pay for", each carries a slightly different nuance. When writing, be mindful of the context and adjust your language accordingly to ensure precision. Remember, this phrase is more about difficulty than outright impossibility.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

can't comfortably afford

Highlights the lack of financial comfort in affording something.

struggle to afford

Indicates difficulty in affording something, emphasizing the struggle involved.

can't readily pay for

Indicates a lack of immediate or easy access to funds.

find it hard to pay for

Highlights the difficulty in covering the cost of something.

have difficulty affording

Similar to struggling to afford, but slightly more formal.

are priced out of

Suggests that something is too expensive for a particular person or group.

lack the funds for

Emphasizes the absence of necessary funds.

are unable to bear the cost of

Highlights the inability to shoulder the financial burden.

can't meet the expense of

Focuses on the inability to cover the cost or expense.

find it challenging to finance

Focuses on the challenges associated with financing something.

FAQs

How can I rephrase "cannot easily afford" to sound more formal?

For a more formal tone, consider using alternatives such as "unable to bear the cost of" or "cannot readily pay for".

What are some less formal alternatives to "cannot easily afford"?

In less formal contexts, you might use phrases like "struggle to afford" or "find it hard to pay for".

Is there a difference between "cannot afford" and "cannot easily afford"?

"Cannot afford" indicates a complete inability to pay, while "cannot easily afford" suggests that payment is possible but would cause significant financial strain. The latter implies a degree of difficulty rather than impossibility.

How do I use "cannot easily afford" in a sentence?

You can use "cannot easily afford" to describe a situation where someone faces financial difficulty in acquiring something: "Many families "cannot easily afford" the rising costs of healthcare."