reflect on
reflect on — phrasal verb
- reflect onbase form
- reflects on3rd person singular
- reflecting on-ing form
- reflected onpast simple
1. to cause people to form a particular opinion about someone or something, typical
to cause people to form a particular opinion about someone or something, typically a negative one, based on that person's or thing's actions or qualities
Mira's rude behaviour at the dinner table reflected badly on her entire family.
reflect badly on [person/group] — indicates negative effect
The factory's poor safety record reflected poorly on the managers who had ignored the warnings.
reflect poorly on [institution/people]
Darius worried that his early defeat in the tournament would reflect on his coach's reputation.
The charity's dishonest spending reflected well on nobody in the organisation.
Karim knew that shouting at the referee would reflect badly on the whole team, not just himself.
- cast a shadow on
more figurative and literary; always negative
- damage the reputation of
more explicit and formal; states the consequence directly
- speak badly of
focuses on what people say rather than what they think
- do credit to
specifically positive effect; opposite direction
- enhance the reputation of
explicitly positive outcome
文法句型
reflect + on/upon + [person/institution]
reflect + badly/poorly/well + on + [person/institution]
用法筆記
This phrasal verb is almost always accompanied by an adverb ('badly', 'poorly', 'well') or a qualifying phrase that indicates whether the effect is positive or negative. Without such a modifier, the sentence may sound incomplete.