proximately

IPA/ˈprɒk.sɪ.mət.li/
IPA/ˈprɑːk.sə.mət.li/

proximately — adverb

1. as the nearest effective cause of another person's harm, injury, or loss

1.副詞C2
釋義

as the nearest effective cause of another person's harm, injury, or loss

例句

The broken stair was proximately responsible for Mei's fall in the dark hall.

be proximately responsible for + noun

The judge ruled that the unsafe wire proximately caused the fire in Nora's shop.

proximately caused in a legal finding

同義詞
  • directly

    The everyday choice; less technical than proximately and not limited to legal reasoning.

  • immediately

    Can suggest no step in between, but often describes time rather than legal causation.

  • causally

    Academic and abstract; it signals a cause relationship without the legal nuance of nearest cause.

反義詞
  • indirectly

    Shows that something affects a result through other steps rather than being the direct cause.

  • remotely

    In legal discussion, this suggests a more distant or less immediate link.

文法句型

proximately cause + noun

be proximately responsible for + noun

proximately contribute to + noun

用法筆記

Mostly used in legal writing with verbs such as cause, contribute to, or lead to. It asks whether something counts as the nearest effective cause of harm, not just a distant background factor.

常見錯誤

❌The pipe was approximately responsible for the leak.
✅The pipe was proximately responsible for the leak.
💡'approximately' means 'roughly'; 'proximately' here means 'as a direct cause'.

2. with very little distance, time, or separation between things; in a closely conn

2.副詞C2
釋義

with very little distance, time, or separation between things; in a closely connected way

例句

The village lies proximately to the river and floods each spring.

proximately to + place for physical nearness

The two hearing dates fell proximately, leaving Mara one free day between them.

formal adverb for close timing

同義詞
  • closely

    The normal everyday adverb and the best substitute in most contexts.

  • nearly

    Often points to being almost complete or almost true, not just physically or logically close.

  • nearby

    Usually describes place only, while proximately can also describe time or relation.

反義詞
  • distantly

    Shows that things are far apart rather than close together.

  • remotely

    More idiomatic for saying something is far away in place, relation, or possibility.

文法句型

lie proximately to + noun

fall proximately

stand proximately on + noun

用法筆記

Rare and formal. Unlike sense 1, this meaning talks about closeness in place, time, or relation; everyday English usually uses 'closely', 'near', or 'nearby' instead.

常見錯誤

❌The museum is approximately to the station.
✅The museum is proximately to the station.
💡'approximately' means 'roughly'; this rare sense of 'proximately' means 'closely' or 'near'.