burned out

IPA/ˌbɜːnd ˈaʊt/
IPA/ˌbɝːnd ˈaʊt/

burned out — 形容詞

1. describes a building, vehicle, or other structure that has been seriously damage

1.形容詞B1
釋義

燒毀的

被火嚴重破壞的

describes a building, vehicle, or other structure that has been seriously damaged or destroyed by fire, leaving only a ruined shell or frame.

例句

The old factory on River Road was completely burned out after the electrical fire.

River Road 上的那間舊工廠在一場電線走火後完全燒毀了。

completely + burned out (collocation)

Firefighters searched the burned out apartment building but found no one inside.

消防員搜尋了那棟燒毀的公寓大樓，但沒有在裡面找到任何人。

同義詞
  • gutted by fire

    stronger and more dramatic; often used for buildings where the interior is destroyed

  • fire-damaged

    broader range; can describe minor damage, not just complete destruction

  • charred

    focuses on the blackened surface rather than the structural destruction

反義詞
  • undamaged

    not affected by any harm

  • intact

    completely untouched and in one piece

文法句型

burned out + noun (attributive)

noun + be + burned out (predicative)

用法筆記

Typically describes physical structures such as buildings, vehicles, factories, and houses. Not used for people or animals when referring to fire damage. The attributive form comes before the noun ('a burned out car'), while the predicative form follows a linking verb ('the car was burned out').

常見錯誤

❌The candle burned out after an hour.
✅The burned out car was towed from the scene.
💡'burned out' as an adjective describes fire damage to structures, not a flame naturally going out; the verb phrase 'burn out' means a flame stops burning.
❌He felt burned out from the fire.
✅The burned out building was condemned after the fire.
💡For a person exhausted from overwork, use sense 2 instead.

2. feeling extremely tired, ill, or unable to continue because of working too hard

2.形容詞B1
釋義

筋疲力竭的

因過度工作而疲憊生病

feeling extremely tired, ill, or unable to continue because of working too hard or dealing with too much stress over a long period — for example, a nurse after months of double shifts, or a student at the end of exam season.

例句

After working eighty-hour weeks for months, Dr. Okonkwo felt completely burned out.

連續幾個月每週工作八十小時後，Okonkwo 醫生感到完全筋疲力竭。

completely + burned out (common intensifier)

Mei-Lin took two weeks off because she was burned out from studying for her exams.

Mei-Lin 因為準備考試念書念到筋疲力竭，請了兩週的假。

burned out from [cause] (pattern)

同義詞
  • exhausted

    more general; can describe short-term or long-term tiredness

  • worn out

    less formal; can describe both people and objects

  • drained

    focuses on emotional or mental energy being completely used up

反義詞
  • energized

    feeling full of energy and ready to work

  • refreshed

    rested and restored after a break or sleep

文法句型

person + be + burned out (predicative)

burned out + worker / employee / student (attributive)

用法筆記

Common in work and academic contexts. Often paired with intensifiers like 'completely' or 'totally'. Frequently followed by 'from' to indicate the cause ('burned out from working'). Can be used both predicatively ('she is burned out') and attributively ('burned out workers'). The attributive use often appears with plural nouns referring to groups of people.

常見錯誤

❌The machine is burned out.
✅The factory workers are burned out after the long shift.
💡For machines or electronics that stop working, use 'burned out' only for fire damage (sense 1) or use 'worn out' / 'broken down'.
❌I am burned out after running one mile.
✅I am burned out after months of working twelve-hour days.
💡This sense requires long-term exhaustion, not just temporary physical tiredness after a short activity.