out of context

IPA/ˌaʊtəv kˈɒntɛkst/
IPA/ˌaʊɾəv kˈɑːntɛkst/

out of context — idiom

1. To quote someone's words out of context means to repeat just a fragment of what

1.慣用語B2
釋義

To quote someone's words out of context means to repeat just a fragment of what they said, removed from the surrounding text so that the original meaning is lost or twisted.

例句

The politician said the newspaper quoted her out of context and made her seem uncaring.

quote + out of context — quoting selectively distorts meaning

The reporter took Daichi's words out of context to make him seem angry with his team.

take + out of context — active and passive both common

同義詞
  • misquote

    focuses on the inaccuracy of the reproduction rather than the missing surrounding text

  • quote selectively

    less common than 'out of context'; implies deliberate choice of excerpts

  • take out of context

    the fuller phrasal form of the same idiom

反義詞
  • in context

    the direct opposite — presenting words with their surrounding text intact

  • quote in full

    reproducing all of a statement rather than a chosen fragment

文法句型

quote/take/use + [words/sb's remarks] + out of context

用法筆記

Typically used with verbs of quoting or reporting: quote, take, use, report, cite. The passive construction (be quoted/ taken/ used out of context) is very common and often preferred in formal writing.

常見錯誤

❌The article was out of context about what she said.
✅The article quoted her out of context.
💡'out of context' modifies how words are used/reported, not a statement itself.
❌He spoke out of context at the meeting.
✅His remark was taken out of context by the press.
💡'out of context' describes selective quoting, not confused or irrelevant speech.