cautious

cautious — adjective

1. A cautious person thinks carefully before acting and avoids unnecessary risks or

1.形容詞B2
釋義

A cautious person thinks carefully before acting and avoids unnecessary risks or danger.

例句

Theo is a cautious driver and always checks his mirrors before changing lanes.

cautious + noun describing a person's habitual behaviour

A cautious hiker would never climb a mountain without the right gear.

同義詞
  • careful

    more general; cautious implies a stronger focus on avoiding risk

  • prudent

    more formal, often used in business or financial contexts

  • wary

    suggests suspicion or alertness to a specific danger rather than a general character trait

反義詞
  • reckless

    describes someone who takes unnecessary risks

  • careless

    describes someone who does not pay enough attention

常見錯誤

❌She is a caution driver.
✅She is a cautious driver.
💡'cautious' is the adjective; 'caution' is a noun and cannot modify a noun directly.

2. A cautious action or plan is done with careful thought and preparation, often sl

2.形容詞B2
釋義

A cautious action or plan is done with careful thought and preparation, often slowly to avoid mistakes.

例句

The firm took a cautious approach and tested the new software for months before releasing it.

cautious approach — common collocation for a deliberate plan

Doctors recommended a cautious treatment plan that started with the lowest possible dose.

同義詞
  • careful

    less formal; cautious adds a sense of slowness and deliberation

  • conservative

    often used for numbers, estimates, or plans that avoid overreaching

  • measured

    suggests restraint and proportionality in a response

反義詞
  • rash

    describes actions taken without enough thought

  • hasty

    describes actions done too quickly

用法筆記

This sense only applies to actions, plans, or behaviours — not to people directly. Compare with sense 1: 'a cautious person' describes character, while 'a cautious step' describes the action itself.

常見錯誤

❌She gave a cautious' (missing noun).
✅She gave a cautious answer.
💡'cautious' is an adjective and needs a noun to modify.

3. Feeling or expressing a limited hope that something good might happen, while acc

3.形容詞B2
釋義

Feeling or expressing a limited hope that something good might happen, while accepting that success is not guaranteed.

例句

Doctors are cautiously optimistic that the new treatment will help patients recover faster.

cautiously optimistic — fixed phrase for guarded hope

Wen felt cautious about applying to the top university, knowing how competitive it was.

cautious about + [noun/gerund] for hesitation or guarded feeling

同義詞
  • guarded

    very similar; 'guarded optimism' and 'cautious optimism' are interchangeable

  • reserved

    suggests holding back one's feelings; less specific to hope

  • tentative

    implies a trial or provisional attitude rather than a feeling of hope

反義詞
  • confident

    feeling sure of success, with no doubt

  • optimistic

    expecting a good result without reservation

文法句型

cautious about [something]

用法筆記

Most common in the fixed phrase 'cautiously optimistic'. The adjective itself (without 'optimistic') can express guarded feelings about a future outcome, often with 'about'.