terminal

/ˈtɜː.mɪ.nəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtɝː.mə.nəl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtər-mə-nᵊl ˈtərm-nəl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈtɜːmɪnl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtɜːrmɪnl/ (ame, ipa)

terminal — 形容詞

  • terminalpositive
  • more terminalcomparative
  • most terminalsuperlative

1. A terminal disease or illness is one for which there is no known cure and that w

1.形容詞B2
釋義

晚期；末期

疾病無法治癒且最終導致死亡的

A terminal disease or illness is one for which there is no known cure and that will eventually cause a person's death.

例句

The doctor told Tariq that his mother's cancer was terminal and could not be treated.

醫生告訴 Tariq，他母親的癌症已是晚期，無法醫治了。

collocation: terminal cancer

Sayaka's father was diagnosed with a terminal heart condition at the age of sixty-two.

Sayaka 的父親在六十二歲時被診斷出患有末期心臟疾病。

collocation: terminal condition

同義詞
  • incurable

    stresses the lack of a cure rather than the inevitability of death

  • fatal

    implies the disease causes death, but not necessarily after a long period

反義詞
  • curable

    able to be treated successfully

文法句型

terminal + [noun: disease / illness / cancer]

用法筆記

This sense is almost always used before a noun (attributive position), typically modifying words such as disease, illness, cancer, or condition.

常見錯誤

❌He has a terminal disease and might survive with treatment.
✅He has a terminal disease and cannot be cured.
💡Terminal means there is no cure, not that the disease is simply serious.

2. A terminal patient or case is someone with a fatal condition who has entered the

2.形容詞B2
釋義

病危的

患有無法治癒疾病且即將死亡的

A terminal patient or case is someone with a fatal condition who has entered the final phase of life and is expected to die soon.

例句

The hospital has a special ward where terminal patients receive comfort and pain relief.

醫院設有專門病房，為病危病人提供安寧療護與止痛。

collocation: terminal patient

Ravindra volunteers at a hospice that cares for terminal cases from all over the region.

Ravindra 在一間安寧院擔任志工，照顧來自各地的臨終病患。

collocation: terminal case

同義詞
  • dying

    more general; does not specifically imply a diagnosed fatal disease

反義詞

文法句型

terminal + [noun: patient / case]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 (FATAL ILLNESS): sense 1 describes the disease itself, while sense 2 describes the person who has the disease. Terminal patient is frequently used in healthcare and hospice contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The cat has become terminal and will die soon.
✅The cat is a terminal patient and will die soon.
💡Terminal as an adjective for a patient describes the person's status, not the disease itself.

3. used informally to describe a situation, state, or quality that has reached the

3.形容詞C1
釋義

極度的

程度極深的負面狀態

used informally to describe a situation, state, or quality that has reached the most extreme or hopelessly severe level, especially in a negative way.

例句

Aaron described the three-hour lecture as a case of terminal boredom.

Aaron 形容那場三小時的講座極度無聊。

collocation: terminal boredom

The company's financial problems were terminal, and it closed down within a year.

該公司的財務問題已到無可挽回的地步，一年內就關閉了。

collocation: terminal [financial problems]

同義詞
  • extreme

    neutral in register; does not carry the same sense of hopelessness

  • hopeless

    stresses the lack of possibility for improvement

反義詞
  • mild

    slight or moderate in degree

文法句型

terminal + [abstract noun: boredom / stupidity / decline]

用法筆記

This sense is informal and often used for emphasis or exaggeration. It typically modifies abstract nouns describing negative qualities or situations and adds a tone of hopelessness.

4. relating to or forming the final part of a process, period, or series; situated

4.形容詞B2
釋義

末端；終點

處於或構成某事物末端的

relating to or forming the final part of a process, period, or series; situated at the furthest point or boundary of something.

例句

The train reached its terminal station just after midnight, and all the passengers got off.

火車在午夜過後抵達終點站，所有乘客都下了車。

collocation: terminal station

Students in the terminal year of the programme must complete a research project.

就讀該課程最後一年的學生必須完成一項研究專題。

collocation: terminal year

同義詞
  • final

    more common in everyday language for the last item in a series

  • end

    used as a noun or in prepositional phrases; less formal

反義詞
  • initial

    happening at the beginning

  • first

    coming before all others in time or order

文法句型

terminal + [noun: point / stage / station]

用法筆記

This is the most general sense of terminal and can apply to physical endpoints (stations, tips) as well as temporal endpoints (stages, years). In botany, a terminal bud is the one at the very tip of a stem.

常見錯誤

❌This is the terminal stop of the bus ride, but we can still walk home.
✅This is the last stop of the bus ride.
💡Terminal as an adjective for stops is less common than using 'last' or 'final' in everyday conversation.

terminal — 名詞