actor

actor — 名詞

1. a person whose job is to play characters in films, plays, or television shows by

1.名詞A2
釋義

演員

在電影、戲劇或電視中扮演角色的人

a person whose job is to play characters in films, plays, or television shows by speaking their lines and copying how they would behave.

例句

Imani has wanted to be an actor since she watched her first school play.

瑪雅自從看了第一場學校話劇後,就一直想當演員。

be + an actor (career goal pattern)

The young actor playing Hamlet forgot his line during the second act.

飾演哈姆雷特的年輕演員在第二幕忘了台詞。

actor playing [role]

同義詞
  • performer

    broader — covers singers, dancers, comedians, not only those playing characters

  • actress

    older female-specific form, still used in awards but losing ground in everyday speech

  • thespian

    literary or humorous; mainly for stage actors

文法句型

actor in [film/play]

actor playing [role]

用法筆記

Although 'actress' is still used for women in awards categories (e.g. Best Actress), many performers and news outlets now use 'actor' for any gender.

常見錯誤

My uncle is an actor of voice for cartoons.
My uncle is a voice actor for cartoons.
💡say 'voice actor' (compound noun), not 'actor of voice'.

2. a person, country, or organization whose actions help shape how a political, soc

2.名詞C1
釋義

參與者;要角

在政治或社會事件中具有影響力的個人或組織

a person, country, or organization whose actions help shape how a political, social, or business situation develops.

例句

China and the United States remain the two biggest actors in the global trade talks.

中國和美國仍是全球貿易談判中最重要的兩個參與者。

biggest/major + actors in [arena]

Several non-government actors helped deliver food to villages after the flood.

好幾個非政府組織協助在水災後把糧食送到村莊。

non-government / non-state actors

同義詞
  • player

    very similar in this sense, slightly more common in business contexts

  • participant

    neutral — implies taking part but not necessarily having influence

  • stakeholder

    narrower — someone with a direct interest in the outcome, not just any participant

反義詞
  • bystander

    someone who watches without taking part

文法句型

key actor in [situation]

actor on the [scene/stage]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense almost always appears with a defining phrase such as 'in [the conflict/market/process]' or with adjectives like 'key', 'major', 'state', 'non-state'. Subjects are often institutions or countries, not individual people.

常見錯誤

He is an actor in our company decisions.
He plays an active role in our company decisions.
💡for a single person at work, prefer 'play a role'; 'actor' here sounds odd outside formal political or social analysis.

3. someone who behaves in a fake way to hide what they really feel or think, so tha

3.名詞B2
釋義

裝樣子的人

為掩飾真實情緒而故意演戲的人

someone who behaves in a fake way to hide what they really feel or think, so that other people believe a different version of them.

例句

Don't trust Quinn's tears — she's a brilliant actor when she wants something.

別相信莉娜的眼淚——她想要東西時可是個一流的戲精。

brilliant/good + actor (deception)

Greta is such a bad actor that everyone could see she was lying about the broken vase.

葛蕾塔演技太爛,大家一看就知道她在說花瓶不是她打破的。

such a + bad actor

同義詞
  • pretender

    more negative — suggests deliberate dishonesty

  • fake

    stronger and informal — labels the person, not just the behaviour

文法句型

a good/terrible actor

such an actor

用法筆記

Almost always preceded by an evaluating adjective ('good', 'bad', 'terrible', 'brilliant') or 'such a/an'. Without that adjective the listener will assume sense 1 (a professional actor).

常見錯誤

She is an actor when she pretends to be happy.
She is a good actor when she pretends to be happy.
💡this sense almost always needs a judging adjective; bare 'an actor' will be heard as the job.