dreadnought

IPA/ˈdrednɔːt/
KK[drˈɛdnˌɔt]IPA/ˈdrednɔːt/

dreadnought — 名詞

  • dreadnoughtsingular
  • dreadnoughtsplural

1. a heavily armed battleship class introduced around 1906, carrying uniformly larg

1.名詞
釋義

無畏艦

20世紀初的大型高速戰艦

a heavily armed battleship class introduced around 1906, carrying uniformly large guns and powered by steam turbines, which rendered all earlier warship designs obsolete.

例句

When the HMS Dreadnought was launched in 1906, it made every other battleship in the world outdated overnight.

1906 年英國皇家海軍無畏號下水時，世界上所有其他戰艦在一夜之間就過時了。

HMS Dreadnought launched 1906 — historical reference

The naval museum in Portsmouth has a full-scale model of a dreadnought on display.

朴茨茅斯的海軍博物館裡展示了一艘無畏艦的實體模型。

collocation: dreadnought + on display / naval museum

同義詞
  • battleship

    the general category; a dreadnought is a specific type of early-20th-century battleship

  • warship

    broader term covering any armed naval vessel, not limited to large gun-armed ships

用法筆記

Often capitalised (Dreadnought) when referring specifically to the original British battleship HMS Dreadnought. The lowercase form is used for the general class of warships modelled after it.

常見錯誤

❌The Titanic was a famous dreadnought.
✅The Titanic was a passenger liner, not a dreadnought.
💡Dreadnoughts were military warships; the Titanic was an ocean liner.

2. a person who shows great physical or emotional strength and appears to be afraid

2.名詞
釋義

無畏者

極其強悍且無所畏懼的人

a person who shows great physical or emotional strength and appears to be afraid of nothing — for example, a campaigner who keeps fighting despite threats, or an athlete who never backs down from a challenge.

例句

Mei was a dreadnought in the boardroom, arguing for fair wages even when the directors tried to silence her.

Mei 在會議室裡就像一員無畏猛將，即使董事們試圖封她的口，她仍據理力爭公平薪資。

figurative: dreadnought in [location/role]

The young activist quickly became known as a dreadnought who would not be intimidated by the authorities.

那位年輕的活動人士很快被認為是一名不畏權勢的勇者。

collocation: known as a dreadnought

同義詞
  • titan

    suggests great size or influence rather than specifically fearlessness

  • lionheart

    emphasises courage in battle or facing danger, similar register

反義詞
  • coward

    direct opposite in terms of courage

用法筆記

This sense is much less common than the battleship meaning and is used mainly in figurative or admiring descriptions. It is not a neutral label; calling someone a dreadnought implies strong approval of their courage.

常見錯誤

❌He is a dreadnought of the new policy.' (using it with of + object as if it were 'supporter' or 'advocate').
✅He is a dreadnought who fights for the new policy.
💡The word describes a person's fearless character, not their role in relation to a specific cause.