intricately

IPA/ˈɪntrɪkətli/
KK[ˈɪntrəkətli]IPA/ˈɪntrɪkətli/

intricately — adverb

1. using many tiny parts that have been joined together with great care and skill

1.副詞C1
釋義

using many tiny parts that have been joined together with great care and skill

例句

Lien spent three weeks carving the wooden box, its lid intricately covered with tiny flowers.

intricately + past participle (carved/covered) for handmade objects

The old temple gate was intricately painted with red dragons and golden waves.

passive: be intricately painted/decorated

同義詞
  • elaborately

    stresses rich, showy decoration rather than the smallness of the parts

  • delicately

    stresses fine, fragile work, less about the number of parts

反義詞
  • plainly

    with no decoration or detail

  • simply

    with few parts; easy to make

文法句型

intricately + past participle (carved, woven, decorated)

用法筆記

Almost always pairs with a past participle that names making or decorating: carved, woven, painted, stitched, decorated. Subject is usually a handmade or finely built object, not an abstract idea.

常見錯誤

❌The garden was intricately big.
✅The garden was intricately planted with hundreds of small herbs.
💡intricately describes fine detail and small parts, not size.

2. with so many connected details that the whole thing becomes hard to follow

2.副詞C1
釋義

with so many connected details that the whole thing becomes hard to follow

例句

The detective novel was so intricately plotted that Rodrigo had to reread the ending twice.

intricately plotted for stories with many connected threads

Asher explained how the two crimes were intricately linked through a single phone number.

intricately linked/connected for hidden relationships

同義詞
  • complexly

    plain word for many parts; lacks the sense of fine connection

  • elaborately

    can suggest deliberate, detailed design rather than confusing difficulty

反義詞
  • simply

    in a way that is easy to follow

  • clearly

    in a way that is easy to understand

文法句型

intricately + adjective/past participle (linked, connected, plotted)

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: here the subject is abstract (a plot, argument, law, or relationship), and the point is that the complexity makes it hard to grasp, not that it is beautifully made.

常見錯誤

❌The story was intricately, so I stopped reading.
✅The story was so intricately plotted that I stopped reading.
💡intricately is an adverb and must modify a verb or participle, not stand alone.