faster
faster — adjective
1. moving or taking place at a greater speed than someone or something else; more r
moving or taking place at a greater speed than someone or something else; more rapid in movement or action.
A bullet train travels much faster than a regular passenger train.
than + noun phrase for comparison
Yuki's new laptop runs faster than her old desktop computer.
The cheetah is faster than any other land animal on the planet.
To finish on time, the team needed a faster way to share large files.
Noor felt her heart beat faster as she waited for the test results.
- quicker
interchangeable in most speed contexts; quicker leans slightly toward 'done in less time' while faster leans toward 'moving at higher speed'
- slower
direct opposite in speed and duration
用法筆記
Frequently followed by than to introduce the thing being compared. The adverb fast is used after verbs of motion (run fast, drive fast); the adjective fast goes before nouns (a fast car, a fast runner).
常見錯誤
2. fuller of exciting events, rapid changes, or lively activity than something else
fuller of exciting events, rapid changes, or lively activity than something else; more hurried in atmosphere or pace of life.
Life in a big city like Taipei is much faster than life in a small farming village.
faster pace of life / lifestyle comparison
The second half of the basketball game was faster and drew louder cheers from the crowd.
Sofia prefers the faster pace of a busy newsroom to the quiet atmosphere of a library.
After the promotion, Amir found himself living a faster life with less time for his hobbies.
- livelier
emphasises energy and activity more than speed
- more hectic
adds a sense of stressful hurry, not just excitement
3. showing a time that is even further ahead of the correct time than another clock
showing a time that is even further ahead of the correct time than another clock or watch.
My kitchen clock is about five minutes faster than the one in the living room.
faster than [another timepiece]
Chen's wristwatch runs faster than the station clock by almost ten minutes.
The old clock in the hall is much faster than the modern digital clock on the desk.
用法筆記
Applies only to clocks, watches, and timing devices. Not used for other kinds of speed or pace.
常見錯誤
4. needing even less light to capture an image than another type of photographic fi
needing even less light to capture an image than another type of photographic film or digital sensor; having greater light sensitivity.
Modern smartphone cameras use much faster sensors than models from just five years ago.
faster sensors / faster film (light sensitivity)
For indoor sports without a flash, a faster film gives clearer pictures in low light.
Theo switched to a faster lens so he could take sharp photos at dusk.
- more light-sensitive
literal description of the property; avoids the speed metaphor
- higher ISO
technical equivalent in digital photography
- slower
in photography, slower film requires more light
- less sensitive
describes the same property without the speed metaphor
用法筆記
Common in photography manuals and camera reviews. The opposite is slower (less sensitive to light). This sense is distinct from all other senses of fast — it refers to light sensitivity, not speed of movement.
faster — adverb
1. at a greater speed than before or than someone or something else; in a shorter a
at a greater speed than before or than someone or something else; in a shorter amount of time.
Could you speak a little slower? You are talking faster than I can follow.
faster than + clause for comparison
The doctor said Noor would recover faster if she drank plenty of water and rested.
Amir drove faster than the speed limit and got pulled over by a police officer.
If we take the mountain road, we will reach the cabin faster than going around the lake.
The new fibre-optic connection downloads files much faster than the old copper wire.
- more quickly
more formal than faster; used in academic and professional writing
- more rapidly
formal synonym; often describes processes or rates of change
- more slowly
direct opposite; also follows the verb it modifies
用法筆記
Faster as an adverb follows the verb it modifies (drive faster, recover faster, learn faster). For emphasis or large differences, use much faster, far faster, or a lot faster. Do not use more faster — this is a common error.