maelstrom

/ˈmeɪlstrɒm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmeɪlstrəm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmāl-strəm -ˌsträm/ (ame, mw)

maelstrom — 名詞

  • maelstromsingular
  • maelstromsplural

1. a state of wild disorder, violence, and emotional upheaval that is hard for anyo

1.名詞C2
釋義

大動盪；亂局

難以控制的劇烈混亂與情緒翻騰

a state of wild disorder, violence, and emotional upheaval that is hard for anyone to control or escape from

例句

Rohan was pulled into a maelstrom of legal battles after his uncle's death.

Rohan 在叔叔過世後，被捲入一連串法律糾紛的混亂局面。

collocation: a maelstrom of [noun] for abstract chaos

The city descended into a maelstrom of protests, looting, and burning cars.

整座城市陷入抗議、搶劫和汽車焚燒的動盪之中。

listing concrete chaos elements after the noun

同義詞
  • turmoil

    broader and more common; works for both physical and emotional disorder

  • upheaval

    stresses sudden change and disruption, less about violence

  • tumult

    more about noise and crowd commotion than the swallowing force of a maelstrom

反義詞
  • calm

    everyday opposite of any chaotic state

  • tranquillity

    formal register matching maelstrom

文法句型

a maelstrom of [noun]

用法筆記

Almost always followed by 'of + plural noun' naming the chaotic elements (emotions, events, voices). Subject is often an abstract place or mind, not a concrete person.

常見錯誤

❌There was a maelstrom in my coffee cup.
✅There was a small whirlpool in my coffee cup.
💡sense 1 is figurative chaos, not a physical swirl; use sense 2's literal water meaning only for big sea whirlpools.

2. a huge, fast-spinning circle of seawater that pulls boats, swimmers, or floating

2.名詞C2
釋義

大漩渦

海上能吞沒船隻的巨大旋轉水流

a huge, fast-spinning circle of seawater that pulls boats, swimmers, or floating objects down into it

例句

Old Norwegian sailors believed a giant maelstrom waited near the Lofoten Islands.

古挪威水手相信羅弗敦群島附近有個巨大的大漩渦在等著他們。

literal sea whirlpool with named location

The fishing boat was sucked into the maelstrom before Eitan could cut the nets.

那艘漁船在 Eitan 來不及割斷漁網之前，就被吸進了大漩渦。

passive: be sucked / pulled into the maelstrom

同義詞
  • whirlpool

    neutral everyday term; covers small and large swirling water

  • vortex

    scientific or technical register; can describe spinning water, air, or gas

文法句型

the maelstrom

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is a physical body of swirling water at sea. In modern English the literal sense is mostly literary or historical; learners meet it in old novels and travel writing rather than everyday speech.

常見錯誤

❌The water in the bathtub formed a maelstrom around the drain.
✅The water in the bathtub formed a small whirlpool around the drain.
💡'maelstrom' is for huge, dangerous ocean whirlpools, not small everyday swirls.