Word · Frequency #20913
precipitous
陡峭的；险峻的
very steep, like a precipice
- 1.
Steep, like a precipice
陡峭的,如悬崖一般
- 2.
done with very great haste and without due deliberation; - Shakespeare; - Arthur Geddes
仓促的；极为匆忙且未经深思熟虑的
- 3.
Headlong
迅猛的；仓促的
- 4.
extremely steep
极陡峭的
- 5.
Hasty; rash; quick; sudden
仓促的；轻率的；迅速的；突然的
仓促的；鲁莽的；急躁的；陡峭的,如悬崖一般；仓促的；极为匆忙且未经深思熟虑的；迅猛的；仓促的；极陡峭的
In use
He made a precipitous decision to quit his job without having another one lined up.
The company's precipitous expansion into new markets led to financial losses.
Her precipitous response to the criticism only made the situation worse.
the precipitous rapids of the upper river
the precipitous hills of Chinese paintings
precipitous + noun (陡峭的)
用于形容地形、坡度等非常陡峭。
They climbed a precipitous cliff.
他们爬上了陡峭的悬崖。
precipitous + noun (轻率的)
形容没有经过慎重考虑就做出的决定。
Connections
Collocations
- precipitous cliff
- 陡峭的悬崖
- The hikers stood at the edge of a precipitous cliff.徒步旅行者站在陡峭的悬崖边缘。
- precipitous drop
- 骤降
- There was a precipitous drop in temperature overnight.夜间气温骤降。
- precipitous rise
- 骤升
- The report noted a precipitous rise in housing costs.报告指出住房成本急剧上涨。
- precipitous decision
- 仓促的决定
- He later regretted his precipitous decision to resign.他后来后悔自己仓促决定辞职。
Synonyms
- sheer
- （几乎）垂直的，峻峭的 · sheer 比 precipitous 更强，强调近乎垂直，多用于悬崖或岩壁；口语中也表示“完全的”（如 sheer luck）。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
联想 precipice（悬崖）：precipitous 就是“悬崖般陡峭”；也指像冲下悬崖那样“仓促鲁莽”。
Context & Register
语域：formal 常见场景：describing terrain: cliffs, steep slopes、describing a sudden drop, decline, or hasty decision precipitous 通常用于正式或书面语。表示“陡峭的”时多描写地形，表示“突然的/仓促的”时常见于描述下跌、下降或决定。日常口语中一般改用 steep 或 hasty。
Pronunciation & Spelling
None of these is a true rhyme of precipitous: its stressed syllable is -cip-, giving the rhyme /ɪpɪtəs/, which is rare in everyday English. All six are useful lookalikes that share the spelling ending -ous, pronounced /əs/ (or /iəs/ after a vowel), but with different stress and preceding vowels.
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 1，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.