counterintuitive

/ˌkaʊn.tər.ɪnˈtʃuː.ɪ.tɪv/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌkaʊn.t̬ɚ.ɪnˈtuː.ɪ.t̬ɪv/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌkau̇n-tər-in-ˈtü-ə-tiv -ˈtyü-/ (ame, mw)

counterintuitive — adjective

  • counterintuitivepositive
  • more counterintuitivecomparative
  • most counterintuitivesuperlative

1. describes a situation, result, or idea that is surprising because it goes agains

1.形容詞B2
釋義

describes a situation, result, or idea that is surprising because it goes against what a person would normally believe based on their everyday experience

例句

Dr. Kwame discovered a counterintuitive result: heating the metal made it shorter instead of longer.

collocation: counterintuitive result

The idea of eating more to lose weight seemed counterintuitive to many patients at the clinic.

seem counterintuitive to [someone]

同義詞
  • unexpected

    broader and less precise; does not carry the sense of 'opposite to intuition'

  • surprising

    more general; any outcome that causes surprise, not specifically one that defies intuition

  • paradoxical

    implies a logical contradiction or self-contradictory statement, which is narrower and stronger

  • illogical

    has a negative connotation of being unreasonable, while counterintuitive is descriptive and neutral

反義詞
  • intuitive

    the direct opposite — in line with what one would naturally expect

  • expected

    broader opposite; something that happens as predicted

  • obvious

    stronger opposite; something so clear it requires no thought

用法筆記

Often used in academic, scientific, or technical writing to describe findings that challenge conventional wisdom or common sense.

常見錯誤

❌That idea is very counterintuitive for me.
✅That idea seems counterintuitive to me.
💡the adjective 'counterintuitive' takes 'to', not 'for', when indicating who finds it surprising.