好词典

incurable

UK //ɪnˈkjʊərəb(ə)l//US //ɪnˈkjʊrəb(ə)l//

词源

源自拉丁语 'in-'(不) + 'curabilis'(可治愈的),14世纪晚期进入英语。最初仅用于医学语境,后引申出比喻用法。

adjective

❶ 指疾病或状况无法治愈的,医学上目前没有治疗方法的。常用于描述严重疾病或顽固问题。

“He was diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer.”

(他被诊断患有一种无法治愈的癌症。)

“Some genetic diseases remain incurable despite medical advances.”

(尽管医学进步,某些遗传疾病仍然无法治愈。)

❶ 形容人或行为难以改变的,通常指坏习惯或顽固特性。带有幽默或夸张的修辞色彩。

“My brother is an incurable romantic who still believes in fairy tales.”

(我弟弟是个无可救药的浪漫主义者,至今仍相信童话。)

“She's an incurable gossip who can't keep a secret for more than five minutes.”

(她是个无可救药的长舌妇,秘密在她那里存不了五分钟。)

同义词:untreatable, irremediable, hopeless, unhealable, ineradicable

noun

❶ 指患有不治之症的人,医学上通常用于描述绝症患者。

“The hospice provides care for incurables with terminal illnesses.”

(这家临终关怀院为患绝症的不治之症患者提供护理。)

“In the 19th century, incurables were often isolated from society.”

(在19世纪,不治之症患者经常被与社会隔离。)

同义词:terminal case, hopeless case

常见短语

incurable optimist — 形容无论情况多么糟糕都保持乐观的人,带有既钦佩又调侃的语气。

“Even after failing three times, John remains an incurable optimist about his startup.”

(即使失败了三次,约翰对他的创业项目仍然是个无可救药的乐观主义者。)

incurable disease — 医学上指当前无法治愈的疾病,使用时需注意对患者的敏感性。

“Researchers are making progress against diseases once considered incurable.”

(研究人员正在攻克一些曾被认为是不治之症的疾病。)