non-event

/ˌnɒn ɪˈvent/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌnɑːn ɪˈvent/ (ame, ipa)

non-event — 名詞

1. an occasion that people were hoping would be exciting, important, or worth atten

1.名詞C1
釋義

雷聲大雨點小

預期精彩卻沒發生或令人失望的活動

an occasion that people were hoping would be exciting, important, or worth attending, but which either fails to happen at all or leaves everyone feeling let down — for example, a big concert the headline act skips, or a wedding announcement that is quietly dropped a week later.

例句

The mayor's anniversary parade was a complete non-event because heavy rain kept most families at home.

市長的週年遊行因為大雨讓多數家庭待在家中，結果根本是場雷聲大雨點小的活動。

subject-complement: was a (complete) non-event

Walid planned the surprise party for weeks, but the guest fell ill and the evening turned into a non-event.

Walid 籌備驚喜派對好幾個禮拜，沒想到主角臨時生病，整晚就變成一場雷聲大雨點小的活動。

collocation: turn into a non-event

同義詞
  • anticlimax

    stronger emphasis on the let-down after build-up; usually about a moment, not a whole event

  • damp squib

    British informal; vivid image of something fizzling out instead of exploding

  • flop

    covers products and performances too, not just events; harsher tone of failure

  • washout

    often implies the cause is bad weather or poor turnout

反義詞
  • success
  • highlight

    the standout moment of an occasion — direct opposite of 'a complete non-event'

文法句型

a non-event

turn out to be a non-event

prove (to be) a non-event

用法筆記

Typically used with the indefinite article — 'a non-event' — and almost always in subject-complement or 'turn into / prove (to be)' patterns. Speakers reach for it when the gap between expectation and reality is large; without that gap, plain 'boring' or 'cancelled' is more natural.

常見錯誤

❌The meeting was non-event.
✅The meeting was a non-event.
💡almost always takes the indefinite article 'a'.
❌There were many non-events at the conference.
✅Several sessions at the conference turned out to be non-events.
💡the word describes a specific occasion's let-down, not a category of dull happenings you can list.