white-headed

white-headed — adjective

1. said of a person whose hair on the head is white or very pale, or of an animal w

1.形容詞B2
釋義

said of a person whose hair on the head is white or very pale, or of an animal whose head fur or feathers are a light color rather than dark.

例句

An old white-headed man sat on the bench, throwing breadcrumbs to the pigeons.

attributive use: white-headed + noun (person)

Erik spotted a white-headed eagle perched on a high branch near the lake.

同義詞
  • white-haired

    more common than 'white-headed' for people; 'white-haired' implies the whole head of hair is white, not just the top

  • grey-haired

    suggests a mixture of grey and white, not pure white; more neutral in tone

  • silver-haired

    poetic or complimentary tone; implies attractive, shiny white hair

  • hoary

    archaic or literary; refers to greyish-white hair of great age

反義詞
  • dark-haired

    opposite: hair is brown or black rather than white

  • black-headed

    used technically for some animal species with dark heads

文法句型

be + white-headed

white-headed + noun

用法筆記

Commonly used to describe elderly people whose hair has turned white with age, and to identify animal breeds or species whose distinctive feature is a pale head.

2. old-fashioned — describes a person who is treated as a favorite by someone in au

2.形容詞C2
釋義

old-fashioned — describes a person who is treated as a favorite by someone in authority or who seems to enjoy unusually good fortune.

例句

As the manager's white-headed boy, Hao was given the best office and the easiest projects.

fixed phrase: white-headed boy = favorite

The old nanny always called the youngest prince her white-headed child.

同義詞
  • favored

    more common and neutral; does not carry the archaic tone

  • fortunate

    broader meaning; suggests good luck rather than being someone's favorite

  • blessed

    stronger, may carry religious or emotional overtones

  • lucky

    everyday synonym for 'fortunate'; less formal

反義詞
  • unlucky

    opposite of fortunate; common and neutral

  • cursed

    strong opposite; suggests misfortune is deliberate or supernatural

文法句型

be + white-headed

white-headed + boy/girl (idiomatic)

用法筆記

This sense is now largely restricted to the fixed phrase 'white-headed boy' (or less commonly 'white-headed girl/child'), meaning a person who is especially favored. The standalone adjective meaning 'fortunate' is very rare in modern English and sounds archaic.

常見錯誤

She is a white-headed student in class' (meaning favorite).
She is the teacher's white-headed girl.
💡the phrase usually requires a possessive (someone's white-headed boy/girl) to sound natural.