antidote

/ˈæntidəʊt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈæntidəʊt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈan-ti-ˌdōt/ (ame, mw)

antidote — noun

  • antidotesingular
  • antidotesplural

1. a chemical substance, especially a drug, that stops a poison from working inside

1.名詞B2
釋義

a chemical substance, especially a drug, that stops a poison from working inside a person or animal's body.

例句

When a rattlesnake bit Theo, the emergency team gave him the antidote within minutes.

gave him the antidote

Doctors warned that no antidote exists for this particular type of fish poison.

no antidote exists for

同義詞
  • remedy

    much broader — covers any treatment for illness or discomfort, not just poison

  • antivenin

    specific to snake or spider venom; a type of antidote

反義詞
  • poison

    the harmful substance that an antidote is designed to counteract

  • toxin

    a poisonous substance produced by a living organism

文法句型

antidote + to + noun phrase

antidote + for + noun phrase

用法筆記

The preposition to is more common in technical or medical writing (antidote to snake venom); for is also widely used in everyday language. Both prepositions are correct.

常見錯誤

❌This medicine is antidote.
✅This medicine is an antidote.
💡antidote is a countable noun and always needs a determiner (a, an, the).
❌The doctor gave him antidote.
✅The doctor gave him an antidote.
💡never omit the article before a singular countable noun.

2. something that makes a bad or unpleasant situation better, or prevents something

2.名詞B2
釋義

something that makes a bad or unpleasant situation better, or prevents something bad from having a strong effect.

例句

A long walk by the river is Luisa's favourite antidote to a stressful week at work.

antidote to a stressful

The community garden was created as an antidote to loneliness among elderly residents.

an antidote to loneliness

同義詞
  • cure

    suggests a permanent solution, while antidote implies relief or counteraction rather than total elimination

  • remedy

    broad — works for both physical and figurative problems, but less specific than antidote

  • solution

    focuses on practical problem-solving rather than counteracting something bad

反義詞
  • cause

    what creates the problem rather than relieving it

文法句型

antidote + to + noun phrase (abstract)

用法筆記

Almost always followed by to + an abstract noun describing a negative state (antidote to boredom, stress, loneliness, anxiety). The pattern is figurative — no actual medicine is involved.

常見錯誤

❌Exercise is antidote to stress.
✅Exercise is an antidote to stress.
💡antidote is countable and needs an article even in figurative use.
❌The best antidote of boredom is a good book.
✅The best antidote to boredom is a good book.
💡the correct preposition is to, not of.