oblivious

/əˈblɪviəs/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈblɪviəs/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈbli-vē-əs/ (ame, mw)

oblivious — adjective

  • obliviouspositive
  • more obliviouscomparative
  • most oblivioussuperlative

1. completely failing to notice or pay attention to what is going on around you, of

1.形容詞C1
釋義

completely failing to notice or pay attention to what is going on around you, often because your mind is fixed on something else.

例句

Maya walked into the lamp post, completely oblivious to the laughing tourists nearby.

oblivious to + noun (people / surroundings)

The toddler kept singing in the supermarket, oblivious of the curious shoppers around her.

oblivious of + noun (less common variant)

同義詞
  • unaware

    neutral and more common; doesn't suggest the strong, almost surprising blindness that 'oblivious' does

  • heedless

    formal; emphasises ignoring warnings or risks rather than simply not noticing

  • unconscious

    stronger; often used for someone literally not processing reality, e.g. asleep or drugged

  • inattentive

    milder; suggests momentary lack of focus rather than total unawareness

反義詞
  • aware

    the most direct opposite; neutral register

  • conscious

    stresses that the person is mentally processing what is happening

  • alert

    adds the idea of being ready to react, not just noticing

文法句型

oblivious to + noun

oblivious of + noun

be oblivious that + clause

用法筆記

Almost always predicative (after 'be', 'seem', 'remain') — rarely placed before a noun. Frequently paired with adverbs like 'blissfully', 'happily', or 'completely' to stress the speaker's surprise that the person didn't notice.

常見錯誤

❌She is an oblivious driver to road signs.
✅She is a driver who is oblivious to road signs.
💡'oblivious' is awkward in front of a noun; place it after a linking verb.
❌He was oblivious about the danger.
✅He was oblivious to the danger.
💡the standard preposition is 'to' (or, more formally, 'of'), not 'about'.