lax

/læks/ (bre, ipa) · /læks/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlaks/ (ame, mw)

lax — 形容詞

  • laxpositive
  • laxercomparative
  • laxestsuperlative

1. not showing enough care or effort when carrying out a task or responsibility, es

1.形容詞B2
釋義

疏忽；鬆懈

缺乏注意或未嚴格管控

not showing enough care or effort when carrying out a task or responsibility, especially where rules or standards should be maintained.

例句

Rosa's son worried she was becoming lax about taking her heart medication every morning.

Rosa 的兒子擔心她日漸疏忽，早上忘記吃心臟藥物。

be lax about + gerund

Jing admitted she had been lax in backing up her computer files and lost a semester of work.

Jing 承認自己疏於備份電腦檔案，結果損失了一整個學期的心血。

be lax in + gerund

同義詞
  • careless

    broader, can apply to any lack of attention; 'lax' often implies a failure to uphold expected standards

  • slack

    more informal; often used for effort or speed rather than rules

  • negligent

    more formal and serious; often used in legal or professional contexts

反義詞
  • careful

    showing attention to detail and duty

  • diligent

    working hard and with care

文法句型

be lax about/about + noun/about + gerund

be lax in + noun/in + gerund

用法筆記

Often followed by 'about' or 'in' to specify the area of carelessness. 'Lax about' is more common with actions or habits; 'lax in' is more common with formal duties or roles.

常見錯誤

❌I feel very lax after my holiday.
✅I feel very relaxed after my holiday.
💡'lax' describes insufficient strictness, not a feeling of calm or comfort.

2. not strict or severe enough to achieve the desired effect, especially about rule

2.形容詞B2
釋義

寬鬆；不嚴

不夠嚴格或未達預期效果

not strict or severe enough to achieve the desired effect, especially about rules, laws, punishments, or organisational standards.

例句

Consumer groups say safety standards for children's toys are far too lax in this country.

消費者團體表示，台灣的兒童玩具安全標準過於寬鬆。

too lax — intensifier before lax

Nadia admitted the school's anti-bullying policy was too lax after several incidents were ignored.

Nadia 承認在數起霸凌事件被忽視後，學校的反霸凌政策確實過於寬鬆。

同義詞
  • lenient

    often implies deliberate mercy; 'lax' implies a failure to maintain proper rigour

  • permissive

    suggests allowing a lot without objection; common in parenting and education contexts

  • easygoing

    positive or neutral tone; describes a person's nature, not rules

反義詞
  • strict

    enforcing rules firmly

  • stringent

    very strict and precise; often about laws or regulations

文法句型

be too lax

lax + noun (rules/standards/laws)

用法筆記

Commonly modified by 'too' or 'far too' to express criticism. Frequently describes rules (lax rules), standards (lax standards), laws (lax laws), or penalties (lax punishment).

常見錯誤

❌The punishment was very relaxed.
✅The punishment was very lax.
💡'relaxed' is positive (calm, comfortable); 'lax' is critical (not strict enough).

3. physically loose, slack, or not pulled tight — used for ropes, strings, fabric,

3.形容詞C1
釋義

鬆弛

未拉緊的、不緊繃的

physically loose, slack, or not pulled tight — used for ropes, strings, fabric, muscles, or skin that has lost its firmness.

例句

The rope securing the sailboat had gone completely lax during the night storm.

固定帆船的繩索在夜間的暴風雨中完全鬆弛了。

lax — for ropes/cords that have loosened

Ana checked that the guitar strings were not too lax before the outdoor concert began.

Ana 在戶外音樂會開始前檢查了吉他弦是否過於鬆弛。

同義詞
  • slack

    more common in everyday speech for ropes, cables, and fabric

  • loose

    broader and more general; can apply to any object that is not firmly fixed

反義詞
  • tight

    pulled firmly; not loose

  • taut

    stretched or pulled tight; used for ropes, muscles, or skin

文法句型

be/grow/become/come lax

lax + noun (fibre/muscle/rope)

用法筆記

This physical sense is less common than the abstract senses. 'Slack' is a more frequent everyday synonym for ropes and cables. 'Lax' in this sense is more formal or technical.

常見錯誤

❌The rope is too lax, so I will cut it.
✅The rope is too slack, so I will tighten it.
💡'slack' is the ordinary word for a loose rope; 'lax' sounds overly formal in this context.

4. relating to a vowel sound produced with the tongue and throat muscles in a relat

4.形容詞C2
釋義

鬆音

發音時舌頭肌肉放鬆的母音

relating to a vowel sound produced with the tongue and throat muscles in a relatively relaxed state, as opposed to a tense vowel.

例句

During a phonetics workshop at City College, the instructor asked Yuki to compare the short vowel in 'bit' — a lax vowel — with the long one in 'beat'.

在 City College 的一堂語音學工作坊中，講師請 Yuki 比較 "bit" 中的短母音（鬆音）和 "beat" 中的長母音。

lax vowel / tense vowel — contrastive pair

The English teacher showed the class how to feel the difference by placing a finger on their throat — the lax vowel /ɪ/ vibrated less than the tense /iː/.

英語老師教全班把手指放在喉嚨上感受差異——鬆母音 /ɪ/ 的振動比緊母音 /iː/ 輕。

反義詞
  • tense

    produced with the tongue and throat muscles more firmly tensed; e.g. /iː/ in 'see'

文法句型

lax + noun (vowel/sound)

用法筆記

Exclusively a technical term in phonetics and linguistics. The most common contrast in textbooks is between /ɪ/ (lax, as in 'sit') and /iː/ (tense, as in 'seat').

lax — 名詞