好词典

hopeless

UK //ˈhəʊpləs//US //ˈhoʊpləs//

词源

来自中古英语,由hope(希望)加否定后缀-less构成,字面意思为'没有希望的',14世纪后期开始使用。

adjective

❶ 形容完全没有希望或成功可能的状态,常用于表达对某事的极度悲观或无能为力。

“After failing the exam three times, he felt hopeless about his future.”

(考试三次不及格后,他对未来感到绝望。)

“The doctor said her condition was hopeless.”

(医生说她的病情已经无药可救。)

❶ 形容某人能力极差或不擅长某事,带有幽默或夸张的语气。

“I'm hopeless at cooking - I even burned the toast.”

(我完全不会做饭——连吐司都能烤焦。)

“He's hopeless with numbers and always gets his calculations wrong.”

(他对数字一窍不通,总是算错账。)

同义词:desperate, impossible, incurable, useless, incompetent

常见短语

hopeless case — 指完全没有改进或治愈希望的人或情况,常用于形容顽固问题或无可救药的人。

“The teacher considered him a hopeless case because he never did any homework.”

(老师认为他是个无可救药的学生,因为他从不做作业。)

hopeless romantic — 形容过度理想化爱情的人,常不顾现实地追求完美爱情,带有既批评又怜爱的意味。

“She's such a hopeless romantic that she still believes in fairy-tale endings.”

(她是个无可救药的浪漫主义者,仍然相信童话般的结局。)