alternative

alternative — adjective

1. describes a plan, route, product, or way of doing something that you can pick in

1.形容詞B2
釋義

describes a plan, route, product, or way of doing something that you can pick instead of the first or main one, usually when the first option is not suitable.

例句

After the bridge collapsed, the bus driver took an alternative route through the village.

alternative + route (transport context)

Greta offered her vegan friends an alternative dessert made with coconut milk.

alternative + countable noun

同義詞
  • another

    more general; lacks the idea of a backup or replacement

  • substitute

    stronger emphasis on directly replacing the first thing

  • different

    neutral; does not imply that this option exists for a specific reason

文法句型

alternative + noun

用法筆記

Almost always attributive (used before a noun). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is neutral and simply marks one option among several, while sense 2 carries the meaning of unconventional or outside the mainstream.

常見錯誤

❌The plan was alternative.
✅There was an alternative plan ready.
💡this sense is attributive; do not use it after the verb 'be' to mean 'available as another option'.

2. describes art, music, lifestyles, or ideas that step away from the mainstream an

2.形容詞B2
釋義

describes art, music, lifestyles, or ideas that step away from the mainstream and are loved by a smaller, devoted audience — for example, indie rock bands or community-run schools.

例句

Zara runs a small alternative bookstore that sells zines and handmade poetry.

alternative + bookstore (cultural niche)

The teenagers loved alternative music and dressed in dark, baggy clothes.

alternative music (genre label)

同義詞
  • unconventional

    more formal; stresses going against tradition

  • underground

    stronger sense of operating outside official channels

  • indie

    informal; mainly used of music and small creative businesses

反義詞

文法句型

alternative + noun

用法筆記

Very common with culture and lifestyle nouns: music, art, theatre, comedy, medicine, school, lifestyle, community. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense describes the character of the thing itself (it IS unconventional), not its role as a backup option.

常見錯誤

❌I took an alternative road because the highway was closed' (when meaning unconventional).
✅I took an alternative road because the highway was closed' belongs to sense 1.
💡for sense 2, the noun is usually about culture, art, or lifestyle, not a practical backup.

alternative — noun