loath

/ləʊθ/ (bre, ipa) · /ləʊθ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlōth ˈlōt͟h/ (ame, mw)

loath — adjective

  • loathpositive
  • loathercomparative
  • loathestsuperlative

1. feeling that you really do not want to do a particular thing, often because you

1.形容詞C1
釋義

feeling that you really do not want to do a particular thing, often because you think it would be wrong, unpleasant, or against your better judgement

例句

Owen was loath to admit that his younger sister had been right all along.

be loath + to-infinitive

Many parents are loath to let their teenagers travel abroad without an adult.

common pattern: be loath + to-infinitive with action complement

同義詞
  • reluctant

    everyday equivalent; far more common in speech and writing

  • unwilling

    neutral and very general; lacks the formal flavour of 'loath'

  • averse

    also formal; takes 'to + noun/-ing' rather than 'to + infinitive'

  • disinclined

    formal, slightly softer — suggests mild reluctance rather than firm resistance

反義詞
  • eager

    strong positive enthusiasm — direct opposite

  • willing

    ready to do something without resistance

  • keen

    informal British equivalent of 'eager'

文法句型

be loath to do something

用法筆記

Almost always predicative — appears after 'be' (or 'seem', 'feel') and takes a to-infinitive complement. Rarely modifies a noun directly; you would not say 'a loath worker'. Distinguish from the verb 'loathe' (to hate strongly), which is pronounced with a voiced /ð/ and spelled with a final 'e'.

常見錯誤

❌She is a loath student to study on weekends.
✅She is loath to study on weekends.
💡'loath' is predicative; it follows the verb 'be' rather than sitting before a noun.
❌I loath spiders.
✅I loathe spiders.
💡the verb meaning 'to hate' is spelled 'loathe' with a final e; 'loath' is only the adjective meaning 'reluctant'.