ramifications

IPA/ˌræm.ɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/
KK[rˌæməfəkˈeʃənz]IPA/ˌræm.ə.fəˈkeɪ.ʃən/

ramifications — noun

  • ramificationssingular
  • ramificationsesplural

1. The indirect or unexpected results that follow from an action, decision, or even

1.名詞B2
釋義

The indirect or unexpected results that follow from an action, decision, or event, especially ones that spread beyond the immediate situation into other areas.

例句

Femi's research explored the environmental ramifications of building a dam across the river.

ramifications + of + noun phrase naming the cause

Saira did not realise the legal ramifications of signing the contract without reading it first.

同義詞
  • consequences

    more general; 'consequences' can refer to any result, while 'ramifications' emphasises indirect, spreading effects

  • repercussions

    more negative in tone; suggests backlash or harmful effects

  • implications

    focuses on what is suggested or indirectly caused, rather than the full set of results

反義詞
  • cause

    the event or action that produces the ramifications

文法句型

ramifications + of + [action/decision/event]

ramifications + for + [person/group/thing affected]

用法筆記

Usually used in the plural form (ramifications). The singular form 'ramification' is very rare and mostly appears in technical or botanical writing.

常見錯誤

❌The ramification of the war were terrible.
✅The ramifications of the war were terrible.
💡'ramifications' is almost always plural in this sense.
❌This decision has many immediate ramifications.
✅This decision has many far-reaching ramifications.
💡'ramifications' usually refers to indirect or long-term effects, not immediate ones.

2. A part that branches off from a main structure, such as a road, river, nerve, or

2.名詞C1
釋義

A part that branches off from a main structure, such as a road, river, nerve, or plant stem, forming a smaller division.

例句

The river divides into several narrow ramifications as it approaches the sea.

countable noun: a ramification of something

Each ramification of the nerve carries signals to a different part of the hand.

同義詞
  • branch

    more common and general; 'ramification' is more technical

  • offshoot

    suggests something that splits away from the main part

  • division

    emphasises the act of separating rather than the resulting structure

反義詞
  • trunk

    the main structure from which ramifications extend

文法句型

ramification + of + [main structure]

用法筆記

Unlike sense 1, this sense is a countable noun and can be used in singular form ('a ramification'). It is more common in technical or scientific writing than in everyday speech.

3. The process of dividing into separate parts or branches, especially in a biologi

3.名詞C1
釋義

The process of dividing into separate parts or branches, especially in a biological or structural system.

例句

The ramification of the nerve cells begins during the early weeks of embryonic development.

formal register: ramification as a process noun

Botanists study the ramification of stems to understand how plants spread their leaves toward sunlight.

同義詞
  • branching

    more common and less formal; 'ramification' is more technical

  • divergence

    emphasises moving apart rather than splitting into sub-parts

用法筆記

This sense refers to the action or process itself, not the resulting branches. It is almost exclusively found in formal scientific descriptions of biological, anatomical, or structural systems.