lethargy

/ˈleθədʒi/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈleθərdʒi/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈle-thər-jē/ (ame, mw)

lethargy — noun

1. a heavy, tired feeling in which a person has very little energy and finds it dif

1.名詞B2
釋義

a heavy, tired feeling in which a person has very little energy and finds it difficult to do even simple tasks or to care about things around them

例句

After lunch, Femi felt a wave of lethargy that made him want to nap instead of working.

a wave of lethargy — sudden onset collocation

The humid summer weather brought on a general lethargy in the whole household.

bring on + lethargy — cause collocation

同義詞
  • fatigue

    emphasizes physical or mental exhaustion after effort; more specific cause-and-effect than lethargy

  • sluggishness

    focuses on slow movement and slow reaction; narrower than lethargy's broader inertia

  • listlessness

    highlights lack of interest or enthusiasm; overlaps with lethargy but leans more toward emotional flatness

  • torpor

    more extreme and literary; suggests a near-dormant state; less common in everyday speech

反義詞
  • energy

    direct opposite — active drive and capacity

  • vigour

    suggests strength and healthy enthusiasm, not just the absence of lethargy

用法筆記

Unlike tiredness or fatigue, lethargy is not necessarily caused by physical exertion — it often feels involuntary and unrelated to how much rest or activity the person has had. Frequently appears with verbs like 'overcome,' 'shake off,' and 'sink into.'

常見錯誤

❌I was fired for lethargy at work.
✅I was fired for laziness at work.
💡Lethargy is an involuntary state of low energy, not a deliberate choice to avoid work.
❌After a 10 km run, I felt lethargy in my legs.
✅After a 10 km run, I felt fatigue in my legs.
💡Lethargy describes a whole-body or mental lack of energy, not muscle-specific tiredness from exercise.