well-bred

IPA/ˌwel ˈbred/
IPA/ˌwel ˈbred/

well-bred — 形容詞

1. belonging to a respected old family whose members have occupied a high position

1.形容詞B2
釋義

出身名門

家族社會地位高的

belonging to a respected old family whose members have occupied a high position in society for several generations, typically through inherited wealth, education, and land

例句

Brian's well-bred family had lived in the same country house for over two hundred years.

Brian 出身名門，家族在鄉間宅邸住了超過兩百年。

well-bred family — family with long-established social position

In the old novels, well-bred young ladies were expected to learn music, French, and embroidery.

在舊小說裡，出身名門的年輕女孩要學音樂、法語和刺繡。

同義詞
  • aristocratic

    more specific: born into the titled nobility, not just a respected family

  • genteel

    old-fashioned; focuses on refined, polite behaviour as a marker of class

  • upper-class

    broader; refers to social class position without implying good behaviour

反義詞
  • low-born

    archaic; born into a low social class

  • common

    derogatory in class context; not from an elite background

文法句型

well-bred + noun

be well-bred

用法筆記

Frequently attributive (well-bred family, well-bred background). This sense is considered somewhat old-fashioned in modern usage, where people rarely describe themselves or others as well-bred directly.

常見錯誤

❌She is well-bred because she holds the door open.
✅She is well-bred because she comes from a respected old family with a long history of social standing.
💡holding the door shows good manners (sense 2), not high social class.

2. behaving in a polite, calm, and considerate way that shows a person was raised w

2.形容詞B1
釋義

有教養

言行舉止端正有禮

behaving in a polite, calm, and considerate way that shows a person was raised with good social habits, such as not interrupting, using polite words, and showing respect to others

例句

Noa was so well-bred that she thanked the hotel cleaner by name every morning.

Noa 非常有教養，每天早上都指名感謝清潔人員。

A truly well-bred person does not boast about their own achievements in conversation.

真正有教養的人在談話中不會炫耀自己的成就。

well-bred person — someone who behaves politely in social situations

同義詞
  • well-mannered

    more common and less formal; purely about good behaviour, no class implication

  • courteous

    focuses on respectful and considerate treatment of others

  • refined

    suggests elegance and polish in behaviour, often from cultural education

  • polite

    general and widely used; less specific than well-bred

反義詞
  • ill-bred

    direct antonym; badly raised with poor manners

  • rude

    common antonym; deliberately impolite

  • vulgar

    stronger; shows coarse or offensive behaviour

文法句型

well-bred + noun

be well-bred

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 (HIGH SOCIAL CLASS): a person can be well-bred in the manners sense without coming from a high-class family. This sense focuses on learned behaviour rather than social origin.

常見錯誤

❌He is well-bred because his father is a doctor.
✅He is well-bred because he always says please and thank you.
💡having a professional parent does not make someone well-bred in the manners sense.

3. born from carefully selected parents of high quality, used to describe animals w

3.形容詞C1
釋義

良種的

從優良品種培育的動物

born from carefully selected parents of high quality, used to describe animals whose ancestry shows desirable traits such as speed, strength, beauty, or good temperament

例句

The farm imported a well-bred stallion from Ireland to improve the local breeding stock.

那座農場從愛爾蘭進口了一匹良種公馬，用來改良當地的繁殖種群。

well-bred stallion — animal from carefully selected parents

Well-bred Labrador puppies from champion bloodlines can sell for over two thousand dollars.

出自冠軍血統的良種拉布拉多幼犬，售價可能超過兩千美元。

同義詞
  • purebred

    more common; emphasises that both parents are the same breed

  • pedigreed

    focuses on the documented family tree of the animal

  • thoroughbred

    specific to horses; also used as a noun

反義詞
  • mongrel

    of mixed breed, especially for dogs

  • mixed-breed

    neutral term for animals whose parents are different breeds

文法句型

well-bred + animal noun

用法筆記

Attributive only — you say a well-bred horse but not ✗ this horse is well-bred in the animal sense. In predicative position, well-bred defaults to senses 1 or 2 (about people). Common with horses, dogs, and cattle.

常見錯誤

❌My cat is well-bred.
✅My cat is a well-bred Persian.
💡well-bred for animals is used attributively before the animal noun, not predicatively.