reliable
/rɪˈlaɪəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /rɪˈlaɪəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /ri-ˈlī-ə-bəl/ (ame, mw)
reliable — 形容詞
- reliablepositive
- more reliablecomparative
- most reliablesuperlative
1. A reliable person, machine, or system always does what you expect, so you can tr
可靠的
可以信賴或依賴的
A reliable person, machine, or system always does what you expect, so you can trust them completely — for example, a reliable car starts every morning without fail, and a reliable colleague never misses a deadline.
Minh trusts Valentina with his cat because she is a reliable neighbour who keeps promises.
Minh 放心把貓交給 Valentina 照顧，因為她是一位說話算話的可靠鄰居。
collocation: reliable + role noun (neighbour/friend/colleague)
Adaeze's old washing machine is still reliable after ten years of heavy use.
Adaeze 那臺舊洗衣機用了十年還是很可靠。
collocation: reliable + machine/appliance
The night buses here are not reliable, so Eliska takes the train instead.
這裡的夜間公車不太可靠，所以 Eliska 改搭火車。
Jude is the most reliable member of the sales team; he always meets his targets.
Jude 是業務團隊中最可靠的成員；他總能達成業績目標。
A reliable internet connection is essential for Naoko's work as an online tutor.
穩定可靠的網路連線對 Naoko 的線上家教工作來說非常重要。
- dependable
almost identical in meaning; 'dependable' is slightly more common for people, 'reliable' for machines
- trustworthy
stronger emphasis on honesty and moral integrity rather than consistent performance
- trusty
slightly old-fashioned or playful; often used for objects (trusty bike, trusty knife)
- unreliable
direct opposite; describes people or things that cannot be trusted
- undependable
less common but means the same as unreliable
文法句型
attributive: reliable + noun
predicative: be + reliable
用法筆記
Frequently used for both people (a reliable worker) and objects (a reliable car). For people, the focus is on consistent performance rather than moral character — a reliable colleague does the work well even if they are not especially warm or friendly.
常見錯誤
2. Information, data, or news that is reliable comes from facts that someone has ca
可信的
資訊或數據經過查證屬實的
Information, data, or news that is reliable comes from facts that someone has carefully checked, so you can trust that it is correct — for example, a reliable weather report from the national weather centre.
Faisal only reads news from reliable sources that check their facts before publishing.
Faisal 只閱讀來自可靠來源的新聞，這些來源會在刊登前查證事實。
collocation: reliable + source
The data from Amelia's experiment was reliable because she repeated it three times.
Amelia 的實驗數據是可信的，因為她重複做了三次。
collocation: reliable + data/results
Before buying the house, Joon wanted a reliable report on its true market value.
Joon 在買房子之前，想先拿到一份關於房屋真實市價的可靠報告。
Scientists need reliable information to make important decisions about public health.
科學家需要可靠的資訊，才能針對公共衛生做出重要決策。
Nila checked three different websites to find reliable statistics for her school project.
Nila 為了學校的專題查了三種不同的網站，以找到可靠的統計數據。
- accurate
focuses on exactness and precision rather than trustworthiness
- credible
suggests something deserves to be believed because of supporting evidence or a trustworthy source
- authoritative
implies the information comes from an official or expert source that can be trusted
- unreliable
direct opposite — cannot be trusted to be correct
- questionable
suggests doubt about truthfulness without claiming it is definitely wrong
文法句型
attributive: reliable + information noun
predicative: information/data + be + reliable
用法筆記
Common with nouns related to data, news, research, and reports. This sense does not usually apply to opinions or personal judgments — you would not describe someone's taste in music as 'reliable'.
常見錯誤
reliable — 名詞
1. A person who can always be trusted to do what is needed, especially within a tea
可靠的人
可以信賴的團隊成員
A person who can always be trusted to do what is needed, especially within a team, workplace, or regular group — for example, a colleague whom the manager calls on when a task must be done perfectly.
When the kitchen got busy, the manager called her reliables to cover extra tables.
廚房忙起來的時候，經理會叫她手下那些可靠的人來支援多出來的桌位。
plural form: the + reliables
Coach Valdez picked his reliables for the most important positions on the field.
Valdez 教練挑選他最信賴的球員來擔任場上最重要的位置。
The principal described Mrs. Okafor as a reliable who never misses a staff meeting.
校長形容 Okafor 女士是個可靠的人，從來不會缺席教師會議。
Every rescue team needs a few reliables who stay calm when things go wrong.
每個救援隊都需要幾個出了狀況還能保持冷靜的可靠成員。
文法句型
the + reliables (plural)
a + reliable (singular, informal)
用法筆記
Most common in informal workplace or team contexts. The plural form 'reliables' is used more often than the singular 'a reliable'. Refers almost exclusively to people; use for equipment is very rare.