dinosaur

dinosaur — noun

1. a group of reptiles that roamed Earth in ancient times, long before humans appea

1.名詞A2
釋義

a group of reptiles that roamed Earth in ancient times, long before humans appeared, and are now entirely extinct; they ranged from chicken-sized creatures to enormous long-necked plant-eaters and included famous predators like the Tyrannosaurus rex

例句

The children at the museum gasped when they saw the dinosaur skeleton.

collocation: dinosaur skeleton

Many scientists believe a giant asteroid caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

extinction of the dinosaurs

用法筆記

Dinosaurs are divided into two main groups: bird-hipped (ornithischians) and lizard-hipped (saurischians). Most learners only need the general meaning — scientific subcategories are rarely needed in everyday English.

常見錯誤

❌That flying reptile is a dinosaur.
✅That flying reptile is a pterosaur, not a dinosaur.
💡Pterosaurs and marine reptiles like ichthyosaurs lived at the same time as dinosaurs but are not classified as dinosaurs.
❌All dinosaurs were huge.
✅Not all dinosaurs were huge
💡some were as small as a chicken.' — The group included many small species alongside the famous giants.

2. an informal label for anyone or anything regarded as hopelessly outdated and unf

2.名詞B2
釋義

an informal label for anyone or anything regarded as hopelessly outdated and unfit for current times — someone who clings to old methods, or an object so old it has lost all practical use

例句

My uncle uses a flip phone and is a complete dinosaur with technology.

informal: be a complete dinosaur

The board called Amihan's proposal a dinosaur from a bygone era.

同義詞
  • fossil

    more informal and humorous; suggests someone is very old and set in their ways

  • relic

    focuses on something that belongs to a past time; slightly more neutral in tone

  • has-been

    applies mainly to people who were once successful but no longer are; more personal and insulting

反義詞
  • trendsetter

    someone who leads new styles or ideas

  • modern

    adjective describing something current and up-to-date

用法筆記

The tone is usually critical or dismissive. Avoid using it to describe older people you respect — it can sound rude. Best reserved for things (technology, methods, rules) or for self-deprecating humour.

常見錯誤

❌My grandfather is a dinosaur and I love him dearly.
✅My grandfather has old-fashioned ideas about music, but I love him dearly.
💡Calling someone a 'dinosaur' is dismissive and disrespectful when you also want to express affection.
❌This computer is a dinosaur because it is three years old.
✅This computer is a dinosaur
💡it cannot run any modern software.' — The word means old AND no longer useful, not simply old.