whimsical
/ˈwɪmzɪkl/ (bre, ipa) · [wˈɪmzɪkəl] /ˈwɪmzɪkl/ (ame, ipa) · [wˈɪmzɪkəl] /ˈ(h)wim-zi-kəl How to pronounce whimsical (audio)/ (ame, mw)
whimsical — 形容詞
- whimsicalpositive
- more whimsicalcomparative
- most whimsicalsuperlative
1. odd enough to make people either laugh or feel a bit annoyed — used for strange
古怪有趣的
奇特古怪但有趣或惱人
odd enough to make people either laugh or feel a bit annoyed — used for strange decorations, silly rules, or unexpected customs that stand out.
Whimsical sculptures made from old bicycle parts filled the garden.
用舊腳踏車零件做成的古怪雕塑擺滿了花園。
collocation: whimsical sculptures / whimsical decorations
Nellie found the dress code so whimsical that students wore cowboy boots one day and suits the next.
Nellie 覺得那服裝規定很古怪——學生今天穿牛仔靴，明天穿西裝。
A whimsical tradition at the cafe required new employees to sing on their first shift.
這家咖啡廳有個古怪的傳統：新員工第一天值班時要唱歌。
Rodrigo found his aunt's whimsical habit of naming plants after painters both charming and baffling.
Rodrigo 覺得姑姑用畫家名字為植物命名的古怪習慣既迷人又讓人困惑。
The hotel had a whimsical policy of serving breakfast in the lobby on upside-down plates.
那間飯店有一項古怪的規定：早餐必須在大廳用倒過來的盤子供應。
- quirky
emphasises an odd but charming personality, while whimsical suggests a lighter, more playful strangeness
- eccentric
stronger and more permanent — eccentric describes a person's character; whimsical can describe a single act or thing
- playful
focuses on fun rather than strangeness; whimsical includes the element of surprising oddness
- serious
whimsical things are not meant to be taken seriously
- conventional
whimsical behaviour goes against what is expected or traditional
用法筆記
Often describes objects, traditions, rules, decorations, or behaviour that stand out as pleasantly odd rather than simply wrong.
常見錯誤
2. driven by a sudden fancy or passing thought instead of careful reasoning — the p
異想天開的
憑一時興起，缺乏計劃
driven by a sudden fancy or passing thought instead of careful reasoning — the person follows whatever idea comes to mind, often changing direction without notice.
The director's whimsical decisions meant the film's ending changed completely three times during production.
導演隨興所至的決定讓電影結局在拍攝期間整整改了三次。
subject: a person's decisions / choices
Bao made a whimsical choice to quit his job and cycle to France without any map.
Bao 做了一個異想天開的決定：辭掉工作，不帶地圖就騎腳踏車到法國。
Arjun's whimsical spending left him with clothes he bought on a whim and never wore.
Arjun 隨興的花錢習慣讓他留下一堆衝動買下卻從未穿過的衣服。
The artist's style was whimsical — she painted whatever came into her head that morning.
那位藝術家的風格隨興而為——她早上腦中浮現什麼就畫什麼。
A whimsical change of plan sent the family to the beach instead of their original destination.
一個隨興的計畫改變讓一家人去了海邊，而不是原本的目的地。
- capricious
more formal and often negative; capricious suggests irresponsible or unreasonable changes, while whimsical can be charming
- fickle
negative — describes a person who cannot stay loyal; whimsical is milder and focuses on the act, not the person's character
- impulsive
describes the nature of a single action; whimsical suggests a pattern of following fancies
- predictable
whimsical behaviour is the opposite of predictable
- rational
whimsical choices are not based on reason or logic
用法筆記
Describes decisions, choices, habits, or plans driven by a sudden impulse (whim) rather than logic. The focus is on lack of predictability rather than strangeness.