好词典

monster

UK //ˈmɒn.stər//US //ˈmɑːn.stɚ//

词源

源自拉丁语 'monstrum',意为预兆或异常现象,后演变为指代奇异生物。14世纪通过古法语 'monstre' 进入英语。

noun

❶ 指虚构或传说中的巨大可怕生物,常出现在神话或恐怖故事中,形象多为凶猛或怪异。

“The children were scared of the monster under the bed.”

(孩子们害怕床底下的怪物。)

“In the movie, the hero fights a giant sea monster.”

(电影中,英雄与一只巨大的海怪搏斗。)

❶ 比喻极其残忍或邪恶的人,强调其行为超出常人接受的道德标准。

“The dictator was a monster who killed thousands.”

(那个独裁者是杀害数千人的恶魔。)

“No one could believe their neighbor was a serial killer - he seemed like a monster.”

(没人能相信他们的邻居是连环杀手——他像个恶魔。)

同义词:creature, beast, fiend

adjective

❶ 形容事物规模或程度极大,常带有夸张意味,多用于非正式场合。

“They built a monster truck for the show.”

(他们为表演造了一辆巨型卡车。)

“She ate a monster portion of ice cream.”

(她吃了超大份的冰淇淋。)

同义词:huge, gigantic, enormous

常见短语

green-eyed monster — 指嫉妒心理的拟人化表达,源自莎士比亚戏剧中的描述。

“When she saw her friend's promotion, the green-eyed monster made her bitter.”

(看到朋友升职时,嫉妒心理让她感到苦涩。)

monster hit — 形容音乐、电影等文化产品取得巨大成功,常指商业上的突破。

“Their new song became a monster hit worldwide.”

(他们的新歌在全球成为爆款。)