gregarious

/ɡrɪˈɡeəriəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ɡrɪˈɡeriəs/ (ame, ipa) · /gri-ˈger-ē-əs/ (ame, mw)

gregarious — adjective

  • gregariouspositive
  • more gregariouscomparative
  • most gregarioussuperlative

1. describes a person who is happy and full of energy when they are around other pe

1.形容詞C1
釋義

describes a person who is happy and full of energy when they are around other people, and who actively looks for chances to chat, mix, and spend time in groups rather than alone.

例句

Christopher is so gregarious that he knows the name of every barista on his street.

describing a sociable personality trait

Working from home all week left the gregarious Valentina desperate for a noisy dinner with friends.

predicative-like attributive use before a name

同義詞
  • sociable

    everyday near-equivalent; less formal and more common in speech

  • outgoing

    focuses on willingness to approach strangers; lighter than gregarious

  • convivial

    formal; emphasises being cheerful company at gatherings

  • extroverted

    psychology-flavoured; about gaining energy from social contact

反義詞
  • reclusive

    strong opposite; actively avoids company

  • introverted

    softer opposite; prefers quieter, smaller social settings

  • solitary

    focuses on being alone rather than disliking company

用法筆記

Usually describes adults and their settled personality, not a passing mood. Distinguish from sense 2: when the subject is a person, this sense applies; when the subject is an animal species, use sense 2.

常見錯誤

❌I feel gregarious today.
✅I feel sociable today.
💡gregarious describes a stable trait, not a one-day mood.
❌The party was gregarious.
✅The party was lively, full of gregarious guests.
💡events are not gregarious; the people at them are.

2. used about an animal species whose members typically gather and live together in

2.形容詞C2
釋義

used about an animal species whose members typically gather and live together in herds, flocks, or other social groupings, rather than spending their lives alone.

例句

Elephants are highly gregarious animals that travel in family herds led by an older female.

collocation: highly gregarious animals / species

Unlike tigers, lions are gregarious cats that hunt and rest together in prides.

contrastive pattern: unlike X, Y is gregarious

同義詞
  • social

    general scientific term for species that live in groups

  • herding

    specific to animals that move in herds, like cattle or deer

  • colonial

    for species that nest in dense colonies, such as seabirds

反義詞
  • solitary

    standard biological opposite; species whose adults live alone, like tigers

  • territorial

    implies actively defending space against others of the same species

用法筆記

Subject is an animal species or group of animals, not an individual animal. Distinguish from sense 1: applied to humans, sense 1 is about personality; this sense is about species-level behaviour and is mainly used in biology, nature writing, and zoology.

常見錯誤

❌My dog is very gregarious.
✅My dog is very friendly / sociable.
💡for a single pet, use sense 1's everyday synonyms; this sense describes the species, not one animal.