also-ran
also-ran — 名詞
1. a person, organization, or product that enters a competitive situation but has v
陪跑者
在比賽或競爭中註定失敗或表現不佳的人
a person, organization, or product that enters a competitive situation but has very little chance of succeeding and is not regarded as a serious challenger
Despite running a strong local campaign, the candidate was an also-ran in the mayor's race.
儘管進行了強而有力的地方競選活動，那位候選人在市長選舉中仍是個陪跑者。
pattern: be an also-ran [in competition]
The small bakery had few customers and stayed an also-ran among local dessert shops.
這家小麵包店客人不多，在當地的甜點店中始終只是個陪跑者。
collocation: stayed an also-ran among [group]
Critics dismissed the science-fiction film as an also-ran that brought nothing new to the genre.
影評人認為這部科幻電影只是個陪跑者，並未為該類型帶來任何新意。
- be seen as an also-ran
- be dismissed as an also-ran
- remain an also-ran
- label someone an also-ran
- an also-ran in a race / election / market
- loser
more direct and harsher; also-ran suggests the person was never a real threat, while loser simply states they lost
- failure
broader in meaning and not limited to competitive contexts; also-ran implies the context of a contest or race
- non-starter
focuses on someone who had no chance from the beginning, whereas also-ran suggests they did participate but made little impact
- winner
direct opposite — the person who actually succeeds in the competition
- front-runner
the person expected to win, while an also-ran is expected to lose
文法句型
be an also-ran
dismiss someone/something as an also-ran
用法筆記
Frequently used with dismissive verbs such as dismiss, regard, or label. The term originated in horse racing and still carries a slightly informal, often critical tone — it implies the person or thing was never a genuine contender.