cassandra

IPA/kəˈsændrə/
KK[kəsˈændrə]IPA/kəˈsændrə/

cassandra — noun

1. someone who warns of coming disaster or misfortune but whose warnings are ignore

1.名詞C2
釋義

someone who warns of coming disaster or misfortune but whose warnings are ignored or dismissed by others

例句

Amara became the office cassandra after her warnings about the failing servers went unheeded.

collocation: become a cassandra

Dr. Okonkwo was dismissed as a cassandra when he predicted the bridge would collapse within two years.

collocation: dismiss as a cassandra

同義詞
  • prophet of doom

    more informal and dismissive; does not require the prediction to be correct

  • doomsayer

    emphasizes repetitive, pessimistic warnings; may imply the predictions are exaggerated

  • alarmist

    implies the warnings are excessive or unwarranted, unlike cassandra which implies eventual vindication

  • Jeremiah

    biblical equivalent; specifically forecasts moral or social decline with a religious tone

用法筆記

Subject is usually someone whose expertise or warnings have been dismissed by a group or institution. The word carries the implication that the prediction turns out to be correct.

常見錯誤

❌Everyone believed the cassandra's warning about the economy.
✅Everyone ignored the cassandra's warning about the economy
💡until it was too late.' — A cassandra is defined by NOT being believed; if everyone trusts the warning, the word does not apply.
❌She was a cassandra because she always saw the bright side of things.
✅She was an optimist, not a cassandra
💡a cassandra predicts disaster, never good fortune.' — A cassandra specifically foretells bad events.

2. a female first name, originally from Greek mythology

2.名詞
釋義

a female first name, originally from Greek mythology

例句

Cassandra studied marine biology at the University of Queensland before joining the research vessel.

Cassandra taught her younger sister how to ride a bicycle in the park behind their house.