centrifugal
centrifugal — adjective
- centrifugalpositive
- more centrifugalcomparative
- most centrifugalsuperlative
1. describing a force or movement that pushes things outward, away from the centre
describing a force or movement that pushes things outward, away from the centre of something that is spinning
The centrifugal force inside the spinning drum pressed the wet clothes flat against its walls.
collocation: centrifugal force
Hannah felt a sudden centrifugal pull as the playground roundabout spun faster and faster.
The ride's centrifugal motion threw Joon's backpack hard against the metal safety bar.
A centrifugal pump draws liquid in at the centre and shoots it out through the sides as it spins.
The lab test showed how centrifugal stress can tear a fast-spinning engine part clean apart.
- centripetal
moving or tending to move toward the centre of a spinning object
文法句型
centrifugal + force / motion / pump
2. describing political or organizational forces that weaken central control and pu
describing political or organizational forces that weaken central control and push power toward separate groups or regions
The empire weakened under centrifugal pressures as distant regions demanded their independence.
political sense: forces pulling apart a state
Kemi warned that centrifugal tensions within the party could split it before the election.
The prime minister fought centrifugal forces that threatened to split the country into three.
Years of centrifugal drift left the once-whole church divided into rival groups across the region.
The board feared that the new partnership would trigger centrifugal splits among the regional branches.
- separatist
specifically describes movements seeking political independence
- fissiparous
very formal; describes any tendency to split into separate parts
- decentralizing
focuses on the process of spreading power outward, not just the tendency
- centripetal
in political context: tending to draw power toward the centre
- unifying
bringing separate parts together into one whole
文法句型
centrifugal + forces / pressures / tendencies
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (MOVING OUTWARD): this sense describes political or organizational forces, not physical motion.
常見錯誤
centrifugal — noun
1. a machine that uses spinning force to separate materials, or the rotating drum i
a machine that uses spinning force to separate materials, or the rotating drum inside such a machine
The factory installed a new centrifugal to separate cream from fresh milk on a large scale.
countable noun: a centrifugal (industrial machine)
A loud knocking noise from the centrifugal told Théo that the drum was out of balance.
The sugar factory ran six centrifugals around the clock during the harvest season.
Workers had to stop the centrifugal after a crack appeared in the spinning metal drum.
The manual explained how to clean the inner basket of the centrifugal before changing materials.
- centrifuge
the standard term; much more common in everyday use
- separator
a broader term for any machine that separates materials
文法句型
a centrifugal
the centrifugal
用法筆記
In everyday language, the more common term is 'centrifuge.' This noun use of 'centrifugal' appears mainly in industrial or engineering contexts.