lightweight

/ˈlaɪtweɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈlaɪtweɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlīt-ˌwāt/ (ame, mw) · /ˈlaɪt.weɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈlaɪt.weɪt/ (ame, ipa)

lightweight — adjective

  • lightweightpositive
  • more lightweightcomparative
  • most lightweightsuperlative

1. designed or built to weigh less than other items of the same type — for example,

1.形容詞B1
釋義

designed or built to weigh less than other items of the same type — for example, a jacket made of thin fabric that folds up easily, or a phone that feels easy to hold for a long time.

例句

Minh bought a lightweight jacket that folds into a small pouch for travel.

collocation: lightweight jacket / lightweight laptop / lightweight fabric

Megan chose a lightweight laptop because she walks to university every day.

同義詞
  • light

    more general; any object that is not heavy, not necessarily below average for its type

  • compact

    emphasizes small size more than weight

  • portable

    focuses on ease of carrying, often used for electronics

  • slim

    stresses thinness of the item's shape

反義詞
  • heavy

    the direct opposite in physical weight

  • bulky

    large and difficult to carry

  • cumbersome

    heavy and awkward to move

文法句型

a lightweight [noun]

be lightweight

用法筆記

Attributive use is more frequent than predicative — 'a lightweight suitcase' is far more common than 'this suitcase is lightweight.'

常見錯誤

❌This phone is very light weight.
✅This phone is very lightweight.
💡lightweight is a single compound word, not two separate words.

2. dealing with a subject in a way that is not thoughtful or demanding — used when

2.形容詞B2
釋義

dealing with a subject in a way that is not thoughtful or demanding — used when a book, film, conversation, or piece of writing stays at a surface level and does not engage with deeper issues.

例句

Critics called the film a lightweight comedy with no real insights into family life.

attributive use: lightweight comedy / lightweight entertainment / lightweight discussion

Beatrix found the newspaper article too lightweight to change her opinion on the issue.

同義詞
  • shallow

    stronger negative tone; suggests a lack of real understanding

  • superficial

    formal; only dealing with the surface level

  • trivial

    suggests the subject itself is unimportant

反義詞
  • profound

    showing deep understanding or insight

  • serious

    treating a subject with careful attention

  • weighty

    important and deserving serious thought

文法句型

a lightweight [noun]

用法筆記

Often used for media, conversations, or writing that is deliberately undemanding — the word can be mildly critical but is not always strongly negative.

常見錯誤

❌His arguments were very lightweight about the topic.
✅His arguments were lightweight and failed to address the real problem.
💡lightweight is an adjective describing the arguments themselves, not a manner adverb.

lightweight — noun