好词典

precipitous

UK //prɪˈsɪpɪtəs//US //prɪˈsɪpɪtəs//

词源

源自拉丁语 'praecipitare',意为 '头朝下坠落',后经古法语 'precipiteux' 进入英语,最初与 'precipice'(悬崖)相关,后引申为陡峭或突然的含义。

adjective

❶ 形容陡峭的、险峻的,通常指地形或山坡非常陡直,几乎垂直,难以攀登或下降。

“The hikers struggled to climb the precipitous mountain trail.”

(徒步旅行者们艰难地攀爬着陡峭的山路。)

“The village was built on the edge of a precipitous cliff.”

(村庄建在一处陡峭悬崖的边缘。)

❶ 形容变化或行动突然且剧烈的,通常带有负面含义,指仓促、鲁莽或缺乏深思熟虑。

“The company's precipitous decline in sales shocked the investors.”

(公司销售额的急剧下滑震惊了投资者。)

“His precipitous decision to quit his job left him without any backup plan.”

(他仓促决定辞职,没有任何后备计划。)

同义词:steep, sheer, abrupt, sudden, hasty

常见短语

precipitous drop — 指某事物的数量或水平突然大幅下降,通常用于描述经济、价格或健康状况的急剧恶化。

“The stock market experienced a precipitous drop after the news broke.”

(消息传出后,股市经历了急剧下跌。)

precipitous slope — 形容非常陡峭的山坡或地形,通常暗示攀爬或行走的困难和危险。

“The climbers carefully navigated the precipitous slope to reach the summit.”

(登山者们小心翼翼地攀爬陡峭的山坡以到达顶峰。)