inaccessible

/ˌɪnækˈsesəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪnækˈsesəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌi-nik-ˈse-sə-bəl (ˌ)i-ˌnak-/ (ame, mw)

inaccessible — 形容詞

  • inaccessiblepositive
  • more inaccessiblecomparative
  • most inaccessiblesuperlative

1. describing a place that people cannot easily enter, visit, or arrive at, often b

1.形容詞B2
釋義

無法到達

難以抵達或進入的

describing a place that people cannot easily enter, visit, or arrive at, often because of distance, bad weather, a lack of roads, or natural barriers.

例句

The mountain village was <hl>inaccessible</hl> during winter because heavy snow blocked all the roads.

冬天時，那座山村因大雪封路而無法到達。

collocation: geographically inaccessible / snow blocks access

Much of the Amazon rainforest remains <hl>inaccessible</hl> to anyone without a boat and a local guide.

亞馬遜雨林的大部分地區若沒有小船和當地嚮導，一般人仍然無法到達。

同義詞
  • remote

    implies far from populated areas rather than impossible to reach

  • unreachable

    stronger; suggests no possible way to get there

  • cut-off

    implies the place was once reachable but has become isolated

反義詞

用法筆記

Sense 1 focuses on physical locations only. If the subject is an object, service, or abstract concept, see senses 2 and 3.

常見錯誤

❌The temple is inaccessible to climb.
✅The temple is inaccessible.
💡'inaccessible' already means 'cannot be reached'; adding an infinitive verb is redundant.
❌The information is inaccessible to reach.
✅The information is inaccessible.
💡same redundancy; 'to reach' is unnecessary with 'inaccessible'.

2. describing something that people are unable to get, buy, or make use of because

2.形容詞B2
釋義

難以取得

不容易獲得或使用的

describing something that people are unable to get, buy, or make use of because it costs too much, is scarce, or is deliberately kept out of reach.

例句

Fresh vegetables were <hl>inaccessible</hl> to the town's residents during the long winter months.

漫長的冬天裡，小鎮居民買不到新鮮蔬菜。

pattern: inaccessible to [someone]

Even with government scholarships, a good university remained financially <hl>inaccessible</hl> to many rural families in Yunnan.

即使有政府獎學金，對雲南省許多農村家庭來說，優良大學仍然因經濟因素而難以取得。

collocation: financially inaccessible

同義詞
  • unavailable

    broader; can mean temporarily not accessible, not necessarily expensive or scarce

  • unattainable

    stronger; implies it cannot be achieved regardless of effort

  • out of reach

    more informal; suggests the thing is close but not obtainable

反義詞

用法筆記

Frequently used with the preposition 'to' (inaccessible to someone). Subject is usually a resource, service, or opportunity rather than a physical location.

常見錯誤

❌The medicine is inaccessible for poor people.
✅The medicine is inaccessible to poor people.
💡the standard preposition is 'to', not 'for'.

3. describing writing, speech, art, or a person's manner that is too complex or unf

3.形容詞C1
釋義

難以理解

不易明白或欣賞的

describing writing, speech, art, or a person's manner that is too complex or unfriendly for most people to understand, appreciate, or relate to.

例句

The professor's lecture on quantum mechanics was <hl>inaccessible</hl> to students without a physics background.

教授那堂量子力學課對沒有物理背景的學生來說難以理解。

pattern: inaccessible to + audience (without prerequisite knowledge)

Many visitors found the abstract paintings <hl>inaccessible</hl> because the artist's symbols were hard to interpret.

許多參觀畫廊的人覺得那些抽象畫難以理解，因為藝術家使用了很難解讀的符號。

同義詞
  • incomprehensible

    stronger; implies total failure to understand

  • obscure

    suggests the difficulty comes from lack of clarity or fame

  • impenetrable

    metaphorical; like a wall that cannot be seen through

反義詞

用法筆記

When applied to a person ('an inaccessible person'), the meaning shifts from intellectual to emotional — describing someone who is unfriendly or unwilling to connect. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 3 is about understandability, not availability.

常見錯誤

❌The theory is inaccessible for beginners.
✅The theory is inaccessible to beginners.
💡use 'to', not 'for', after 'inaccessible'.

❌ 'The text is inaccessible understandable.' — 'inaccessible' already means 'not understandable'; do not pair it with a positive adjective of the same category.