atomise

atomise — verb

1. to force a liquid out of a container through a very small opening, making it bre

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

to force a liquid out of a container through a very small opening, making it break into a cloud of tiny drops

例句

Kwame used a special bottle to atomise the perfume before spraying it on his shirt.

to atomise the perfume

The machine atomises water into a fine mist for the plants inside the greenhouse.

atomises water into a fine mist

同義詞
  • spray

    more general; spray can produce coarse drops, while atomise makes a finer mist

  • nebulise

    medical term for turning medicine into an inhalable mist

  • vaporise

    turns liquid into gas (not just small drops), often by heating

文法句型

atomise + noun (liquid)

be atomised into [noun]

atomise [noun] + by [device]

用法筆記

Most common in technical descriptions of spray equipment and industrial processes. The passive form (be atomised) appears at least as often as the active form in these contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The scientist atomised the molecule to study its atomic structure.
✅The scientist atomised the liquid sample to study its tiny droplets.
💡'Atomise' describes physical liquids or groups breaking into small pieces, not chemical splitting at the atomic level.

2. to break a large group, organisation, or system into many small pieces that are

2.動詞及物 / 不及物C1
釋義

to break a large group, organisation, or system into many small pieces that are no longer connected to each other

例句

The new rules could atomise the community into small groups that rarely meet.

atomise the community

Social media can atomise a person's attention into very short moments.

同義詞
  • fragment

    more physical in tone; fragment can describe both concrete and abstract breaking

  • splinter

    suggests breaking into sharp or separate pieces; often used for groups or political parties

  • divide

    more general and neutral; does not imply that the pieces are isolated from each other

反義詞
  • unite

    to bring separate parts together into a whole

  • consolidate

    to combine into a stronger, more unified whole

文法句型

atomise + noun (group/system)

be atomised into [parts]

atomise [noun] + into [pieces]

用法筆記

Subject is typically a large entity such as a community, organisation, political system, or industry. The resulting parts are described as isolated or disconnected from one another, not simply smaller.

常見錯誤

❌The chef atomised the carrots into small pieces.
✅The chef chopped the carrots into small pieces.
💡'Atomise' is not used for cutting solid food; it is used for liquids (sense 1) or abstract groups (sense 2).