out-of-the-way
/ˌaʊt əv ðə ˈweɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌaʊt əv ðə ˈweɪ/ (ame, ipa)
out-of-the-way — adjective
1. located a long distance from busy towns, main roads, or popular travel routes, s
located a long distance from busy towns, main roads, or popular travel routes, so very few people pass through or visit.
Asher booked a tiny cabin in an out-of-the-way fishing village in northern Maine.
attributive use before noun: out-of-the-way + place noun
The temple sits in an out-of-the-way valley three hours from the nearest train station.
collocation: out-of-the-way + valley / village / spot
Nadia loves hiking to out-of-the-way lakes that most tourists never reach.
The bookshop was tucked into an out-of-the-way alley behind the cathedral.
Kwame grew up in an out-of-the-way farming town where the bus came twice a day.
- remote
more formal; commonly used of regions and areas
- secluded
emphasises quiet privacy as well as distance
- off the beaten track
informal phrase; suggests pleasantly unusual to visit
- central
easy to reach from main routes
- accessible
general antonym; reachable without effort
文法句型
out-of-the-way + noun
be + out-of-the-way
用法筆記
Almost always used attributively before a place noun (village, spot, town, valley). Distinguish from sense 2 by context — sense 1 always describes a physical location.
常見錯誤
2. noticeably different from what is normal or expected; describing facts, ideas, o
noticeably different from what is normal or expected; describing facts, ideas, or details that you rarely meet in everyday life.
Professor Lan kept asking out-of-the-way questions about Roman coin weights.
collocation: out-of-the-way + facts / questions / details
The quiz champion stores hundreds of out-of-the-way facts about old films.
Gita researched some out-of-the-way Sanskrit texts that other scholars had ignored for decades.
Roya enjoys reading about out-of-the-way subjects, from medieval clocks to deep-sea worms.
- common
easy to find or hear about
- well-known
familiar to most people
文法句型
out-of-the-way + noun
用法筆記
Subject is usually an abstract noun (fact, detail, subject, topic, question), not a physical thing. Distinguish from sense 1 by what follows: sense 1 modifies place nouns, sense 2 modifies idea / information nouns.
常見錯誤
3. describing behaviour or speech that is socially wrong, mildly rude, or crosses a
describing behaviour or speech that is socially wrong, mildly rude, or crosses a line that most people would not cross.
Isabela apologised after making an out-of-the-way comment about her colleague's divorce.
collocation: out-of-the-way + remark / comment
Nothing out-of-the-way was said at the dinner, though the topic was sensitive.
common negative frame: nothing out-of-the-way
The judge asked the witness not to do anything out-of-the-way during the trial.
Élise warned the children not to say anything out-of-the-way at their grandmother's funeral.
- improper
general term; widely used in formal complaints
- inappropriate
most common modern word for the same idea
- uncalled-for
stresses that the remark was not needed
- appropriate
fitting the situation
- proper
socially correct
文法句型
out-of-the-way + noun
用法筆記
Mostly appears in negative or restrictive frames ('nothing/anything out-of-the-way'), and almost always describes spoken remarks or behaviour. Distinguish from sense 2 (unusual facts/ideas) — sense 3 carries a clear moral or social judgement.