curiously

curiously — adverb

1. done while feeling a strong urge to find out more about someone or something — f

1.副詞B2
釋義

done while feeling a strong urge to find out more about someone or something — for instance, by watching keenly, asking questions, or examining small details.

例句

Mira curiously watched the ants carry crumbs across the kitchen floor.

curiously + verb of watching / observing

The children gathered around the old map and curiously studied every mark on it.

同義詞
  • inquisitively

    more formal and often implies many questions; curiously is broader and more natural in everyday speech

  • intently

    stresses focused attention rather than a desire to learn; can feel more serious

  • with interest

    a phrase rather than a single word; more neutral about the kind of interest involved

反義詞
  • indifferently

    shows no interest at all, the opposite of wanting to learn

  • blankly

    describes an empty or uncomprehending look, very different from the engaged attention of curiously

文法句型

curiously + verb

verb + curiously

用法筆記

Commonly paired with verbs of seeing, moving toward, or asking — such as look, watch, examine, approach, ask. It can sit before or after the verb; before the verb is slightly more common in written narrative.

常見錯誤

❌She looked at me curious.
✅She looked at me curiously.
💡use the adverb form, not the adjective, to describe how an action is done.
❌He curiously the book.
✅He curiously examined the book.
💡'curiously' is an adverb and needs a verb to modify.

2. describing something strange, unexpected, or difficult to make sense of; frequen

2.副詞B2
釋義

describing something strange, unexpected, or difficult to make sense of; frequently placed at the start of a sentence to present a surprising or puzzling detail.

例句

Curiously, the front door was unlocked even though everyone had gone to bed early.

sentence-initial Curiously, introducing a puzzling fact

The two paintings looked almost the same but were priced curiously differently at the gallery.

curiously + adjective / adverb modifying a quality

同義詞
  • strangely

    the most direct synonym; slightly more ordinary in tone

  • oddly

    emphasises the unexpected nature; very close in register to curiously

  • peculiarly

    slightly more formal; suggests something unusual in a distinctive or noteworthy way

  • surprisingly

    focuses on the element of surprise rather than on strangeness alone

反義詞
  • predictably

    describes something that happens as you would expect, the opposite of strange or surprising

  • of course

    a phrase used to introduce something natural or expected, contrasting with curious facts

文法句型

Curiously, + clause

curiously + adjective / adverb

用法筆記

When 'curiously' begins a sentence followed by a comma, it is a sentence adverb — it comments on the whole statement rather than modifying a single verb. This sense does NOT mean 'with curiosity'; do not confuse it with sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌Curiously, she looked at the insect.' (if you mean she was interested in watching it).
✅Use sense 1: 'She curiously looked at the insect.
💡sentence-initial 'Curiously,' signals strangeness, not an interested manner.
❌The answer is curiously simple and clear.' (if you mean it is easy to understand).
✅The answer is pleasingly simple and clear.
💡use 'curiously' for 'strangely', not for 'surprisingly' in a positive way.