adorable

/əˈdɔːrəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈdɔːrəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈdȯr-ə-bəl/ (ame, mw)

adorable — adjective

1. so charming or sweet that you cannot help feeling warmth and affection — most of

1.形容詞B2
釋義

so charming or sweet that you cannot help feeling warmth and affection — most often said of small children, baby animals, or anything tiny and pretty, like a toddler in a pumpkin costume or a kitten chasing its tail.

例句

Mia's two-year-old niece looked adorable in her tiny rabbit costume.

linking verb + adorable describing a child

The shelter posted a video of three adorable puppies sleeping in a basket.

adorable + plural noun (typical of baby animals)

同義詞
  • cute

    everyday neutral word; 'adorable' adds stronger affection

  • lovable

    focuses on personality you can love; adorable focuses on appearance + sweetness

  • sweet

    covers both looks and kind behaviour; less visual than adorable

  • darling

    old-fashioned and a bit British; often used as a noun too

反義詞
  • hideous

    very ugly; strong opposite

  • repulsive

    ugly enough to disgust; much stronger than 'not adorable'

文法句型

adorable + noun

linking verb + adorable

用法筆記

Typical subjects are babies, children, small animals, and small pretty objects (clothes, toys, photos). Saying an adult man is adorable is friendly and slightly teasing rather than romantic; for romantic praise, English speakers usually pick 'gorgeous' or 'handsome'.

常見錯誤

❌The mountain view from the hotel was adorable.
✅The mountain view from the hotel was breathtaking.
💡'adorable' is for cute small things, not grand landscapes.
❌My boss gave an adorable speech at the meeting.
✅My boss gave a moving speech at the meeting.
💡formal adult performances are not described as adorable.