gladiator

gladiator — noun

1. In ancient Roman times, a slave or captive who was trained to fight in an arena

1.名詞B2
釋義

In ancient Roman times, a slave or captive who was trained to fight in an arena against another person or a wild animal as a form of entertainment for crowds.

例句

While in Rome, Mira and her father watched a show about gladiators at the Colosseum.

collocation: watch a show about [topic]

The gladiator raised his shield just in time to block the tiger's attack.

physical combat vocabulary: raised his shield, block the attack

同義詞
  • fighter

    Much broader — any person engaged in physical combat, not tied to ancient Rome or arena spectacle.

  • warrior

    Broader — implies a fighter belonging to a tribe, culture, or army, with a cause or code of honour, unlike the forced entertainment role of a gladiator.

  • combatant

    Formal and neutral — anyone involved in armed conflict; lacks the historical and entertainment dimensions specific to 'gladiator'.

文法句型

gladiator + verb

a/the gladiator

gladiator + noun

用法筆記

Strictly historical — refers only to ancient Roman arena fighters. Do not use for modern combat sports participants (use 'fighter', 'boxer', or 'martial artist' instead). The term appears almost exclusively in historical, archaeological, or literary contexts.

常見錯誤

❌He trained as a gladiator for the boxing match.
✅He trained as a boxer for the match.
💡'gladiator' refers specifically to ancient Roman arena fighters, not modern combat sports roles.
❌The two politicians debated like gladiators in the studio.
✅The two politicians debated fiercely in the studio.
💡The metaphorical use of 'gladiator' for modern public conflict is not a standard learner's meaning.