mushy

IPA/ˈmʌʃi/
KK[mˈʌʃi]IPA/ˈmʌʃi/

mushy — adjective

  • mushypositive
  • mushiercomparative
  • mushiestsuperlative

1. describes food or a soft substance that has lost its shape and become unpleasant

1.形容詞B2
釋義

describes food or a soft substance that has lost its shape and become unpleasantly wet — like fruit that has sat too long or rice cooked with too much water

例句

The strawberries at the bottom of the punnet had turned mushy.

Lucía poked the avocado and found it was too mushy to slice.

too + adjective + to-infinitive: too mushy to slice

同義詞
  • soft

    broader term; not necessarily unpleasant

  • squishy

    more playful and less negative — a toy can be squishy but not mushy

  • soggy

    focuses on moisture absorption rather than texture breakdown

  • pulpy

    narrower — usually for fruit or paper reduced to a wet mass

反義詞
  • firm

    opposite texture — holds its shape

  • crisp

    fresh and breaking cleanly rather than collapsing

  • crunchy

    makes a sharp sound when bitten, the opposite of soft and wet

用法筆記

Typically describes food. When used for non-food substances such as mud or ground, it emphasises unpleasantly wet softness.

常見錯誤

❌The biscuits went mushy when I left them out in the rain.
✅The biscuits went soggy when I left them out in the rain.
💡'mushy' describes food that has lost its shape and turned soft; 'soggy' means wet and heavy from absorbing liquid.

2. describes speech, writing, or behaviour that is so full of emotion or romantic f

2.形容詞B2
釋義

describes speech, writing, or behaviour that is so full of emotion or romantic feeling that it becomes embarrassing or hard to take seriously

例句

Indra rolled her eyes at the mushy love song playing in the café.

mushy + love song (common collocation)

The birthday card was so mushy that Dylan pretended to gag.

同義詞
  • sentimental

    more neutral — can be used positively or negatively

  • soppy

    British equivalent, similarly informal and critical

  • slushy

    very close in meaning; also informal and disapproving

  • romantic

    broader and usually positive; 'mushy' is romantic plus too much

反義詞

用法筆記

Always carries a negative, critical tone — you would not use 'mushy' to praise someone's emotional sincerity. Distinguish from sense 1 (SOFT AND WET), which is about physical texture.

常見錯誤

❌She gave a beautiful, mushy tribute to her mother.
✅She gave a beautiful, sentimental tribute to her mother.
💡'mushy' is always negative and critical; use 'sentimental' when the emotion is meant as a good thing.