invisible
/ɪnˈvɪzəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈvɪzəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)in-ˈvi-zə-bəl/ (ame, mw)
invisible — 形容詞
- invisiblepositive
- more invisiblecomparative
- most invisiblesuperlative
1. If something is invisible, it cannot be seen — either because of its nature, its
看不見的
無法用肉眼看到的
If something is invisible, it cannot be seen — either because of its nature, its tiny size, or because it is hidden from sight.
Bacteria are invisible to the naked eye, so we use a microscope to study them.
細菌是肉眼看不見的，所以我們要用顯微鏡來觀察它們。
invisible to the naked eye — common fixed phrase
The crack in the wall was almost invisible after Min painted over it.
Min 重新粉刷過之後，牆上的裂縫幾乎看不見了。
Under the dark water, the fish became invisible to the birds flying above.
在深色水面下，魚兒對於上方飛翔的鳥類來說就變得看不見了。
Sade pressed a button and a camera slid into an invisible compartment overhead.
Sade 按下按鈕，一台攝影機便滑進天花板上方的隱藏空間裡。
The writing on the old parchment had faded and become nearly invisible.
古老羊皮紙上的字跡已經褪色，變得幾乎看不見了。
- unseen
Simply means 'not seen' rather than 'cannot be seen'; a weaker claim — e.g., 'the thief remained unseen' suggests good luck, not magic.
- hidden
Deliberately placed out of sight rather than impossible to see by nature — e.g., 'a hidden key under the mat.'
- imperceptible
More formal and technical; suggests something too slight or gradual to be detected by the senses.
- visible
The direct opposite — able to be seen.
- noticeable
Easy to see or observe.
文法句型
be + invisible + to + noun
用法筆記
Frequently followed by 'to' to specify who or what cannot see the object: 'invisible to the naked eye,' 'invisible to radar.'
常見錯誤
2. A person or group that is invisible is ignored by others or treated as though th
視而不見的
被忽略或不受重視的
A person or group that is invisible is ignored by others or treated as though they do not exist — often used to describe social exclusion or lack of recognition.
Trang felt invisible in her new school because no one talked to her during lunch.
Trang 在新學校裡感覺自己像個隱形人，因為午餐時間沒有人跟她說話。
felt invisible — figurative use for being ignored
The homeless community is often treated as invisible by the rest of society.
無家者群體往往被社會其他人視而不見。
treated as invisible — social exclusion pattern
Young people sometimes feel invisible when adults dismiss their opinions as unimportant.
當大人認為年輕人的意見不重要時，年輕人往往會覺得自己被忽視了。
Nora's years of hard work remained invisible to her managers at the company.
Nora 多年來在工作上的努力，公司的主管們始終視而不見。
The contributions of women scientists were invisible in history textbooks for many decades.
女性科學家的貢獻在歷史教科書中長達數十年都被忽略。
- overlooked
Suggests accidental neglect rather than active disregard — e.g., 'an overlooked detail in the report.'
- neglected
Stronger and implies a failure to care for someone or something — e.g., 'neglected children.'
- noticed
Seen or given attention.
- acknowledged
Recognised and responded to.
文法句型
feel + invisible
remain + invisible
treat + object + as invisible
用法筆記
Often used with verbs of sensory experience such as 'feel,' 'remain,' or 'become' to describe a person's subjective experience of being overlooked. Common in social commentary about marginalised groups.
常見錯誤
3. In economics, invisible earnings or invisible trade refers to money a country re
無形收入
透過服務而非商品交易產生的國家收入
In economics, invisible earnings or invisible trade refers to money a country receives from services such as banking, insurance, tourism, and technology, rather than from selling physical goods.
Money spent by foreign tourists on hotels adds to the country's invisible earnings.
外國遊客在飯店的消費，屬於該國的無形收入。
invisible earnings — service-based national income
When a Brazilian firm buys insurance from London, the payment becomes an invisible export.
當一家巴西公司向倫敦購買保險時，這筆付款就變成了無形出口。
invisible export — cross-border service transaction
India's software and technology services generate billions in invisible trade each year.
印度的軟體與科技服務業每年創造數十億美元的無形貿易額。
A nation's invisible income includes revenue from banking, shipping, and tourism together.
一個國家的無形收入包含了銀行、航運和旅遊業的收入。
The government report showed that invisible trade now makes up over half of the economy.
政府報告顯示，無形貿易現在已佔該國經濟總量的一半以上。
- visible
In economics, 'visible trade' refers to the exchange of physical goods (e.g., cars, food, machinery).
文法句型
invisible + noun (earnings / exports / trade / income)
用法筆記
Almost always used attributively — placed before a noun: 'invisible earnings,' 'invisible exports,' 'invisible trade.' Rarely appears alone. The opposite term is 'visible trade,' which refers to physical goods.
4. Something that is invisible is so small, quiet, or well-designed that it does no
不顯眼的
不易引起注意的
Something that is invisible is so small, quiet, or well-designed that it does not attract attention, even though it can be seen if one looks carefully.
Élise wore an invisible hearing aid small enough to fit inside her ear.
Élise 戴了一副很小的隱形助聽器，可以完全放進耳朵裡。
invisible hearing aid — designed to be unnoticeable
The repair to the antique vase was nearly invisible after Arjun finished working on it.
Arjun 修好古董花瓶之後，修補的痕跡幾乎看不出來。
Christopher chose a plain gray suit so he would be almost invisible in the crowd.
Christopher 選了一套樸素的灰西裝，這樣他在人群中就不太顯眼。
Defne placed tiny hooks along the wall, each one almost invisible by itself.
Defne 沿牆壁裝了一排小掛鉤，每個鉤子單獨看都幾乎不引人注意。
The scar on Tanvi's knee had faded until it was nearly invisible in daylight.
Tanvi 膝蓋上的疤痕隨著時間慢慢淡去，白天時幾乎看不出來了。
- inconspicuous
The closest synonym — means not attracting attention without implying actual impossibility of being seen.
- unobtrusive
Does not call attention to itself; often describes design or behaviour — e.g., 'an unobtrusive security camera.'
- subtle
Delicate or understated; can describe colours, flavours, or differences — e.g., 'a subtle shade of blue.'
- conspicuous
Attracting attention; easy to see.
- obvious
Easily noticed or understood.
- noticeable
Clear or apparent.
文法句型
be + (almost/nearly) + invisible
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is about the impossibility of seeing something (e.g., too small, transparent, hidden); sense 4 is about something that can be seen but is deliberately or naturally designed not to draw attention.
常見錯誤
invisible — 名詞
1. An invisible is a being or object beyond the reach of sight — used in fantasy, g
隱形物
看不見的人或事物
An invisible is a being or object beyond the reach of sight — used in fantasy, games, and science writing for entities that exist but cannot be visually detected.
In the game, the invisible follows the player through the castle and attacks without warning.
在這款遊戲中，那個看不見的東西會跟著玩家穿過城堡，並在毫無預警的情況下攻擊。
the invisible — noun use for an unseen entity
The novel is about a child who can see invisibles that adults cannot perceive.
這本小說講述一個孩子能看見大人看不見的隱形物的故事。
Nora painted what she called an invisible — a ghost figure in each picture's background.
Nora 畫了她所謂的「隱形物」——每幅畫的背景中都有一個幽靈般的身影。
Scientists study cosmic invisibles, which are forms of matter in space that emit no light.
科學家研究宇宙中的不可見物質，也就是太空中不發出任何光芒的物質。
The ancient invisibles watched over the village from behind waterfalls and inside caves.
傳說中，古老的隱形守護者從瀑布後方和洞穴裡守護著村莊。
文法句型
the invisible
invisibles (plural)
用法筆記
Rare in everyday conversation. Most common in speculative fiction (fantasy novels, role-playing games) and in physics when referring to dark matter or undetectable particles. The plural form 'invisibles' is more frequent than the singular.