ready-made

ready-made — adjective

1. already produced and fully prepared, allowing you to buy and use it straight awa

1.形容詞B1
釋義

already produced and fully prepared, allowing you to buy and use it straight away without having to make or prepare it yourself

例句

Kabir bought a ready-made bookshelf from the local store instead of building one himself.

pattern: used before a noun as an attributive adjective

The supermarket sells ready-made meals that only need to be heated up for three minutes.

collocation: ready-made meal

同義詞
  • pre-made

    shorter, more informal alternative, very common in product descriptions

  • off-the-shelf

    suggests a standard, non-customised item available without ordering

  • prepared

    broader term; can refer to food that is already cooked, not necessarily sold

反義詞
  • custom-made

    made specially to fit a particular person's measurements or requirements

  • handmade

    made by hand, often implying higher quality or uniqueness

  • bespoke

    formal term for custom-made, especially for clothing and furniture

文法句型

ready-made + noun

be + ready-made

用法筆記

Commonly used in retail contexts for food, furniture, and clothing. The opposite concept is expressed by custom-made, handmade, or made-to-order, which describe items made specially for one person.

常見錯誤

❌I bought a ready cake from the bakery.
✅I bought a ready-made cake from the bakery.
💡'ready-made' is a two-word compound adjective; 'ready' alone does not carry this meaning.

2. describes an idea, opinion, or expression that is used so often that it feels un

2.形容詞B2
釋義

describes an idea, opinion, or expression that is used so often that it feels unoriginal and shows very little fresh thinking or creativity

例句

The politician gave a ready-made answer that avoided any real engagement with the journalist's question.

collocation: ready-made answer

Romi's presentation was full of ready-made phrases that the audience had heard many times before.

同義詞
  • cliché

    stronger negative connotation; describes an overused phrase or idea that has lost all impact

  • stock

    refers to a standard response that is always kept ready, like a stock answer

  • formulaic

    suggests a predictable pattern created by following a fixed formula

  • canned

    informal; describes pre-recorded or pre-written material that lacks spontaneity

反義詞
  • original

    fresh, new, and creative in thought or expression

  • spontaneous

    natural and unplanned, showing genuine thought in the moment

文法句型

ready-made + noun (phrase, answer, opinion, excuse)

用法筆記

Typically pejorative. The word is used to criticise people who rely on predictable language instead of thinking for themselves. Common in reviews of speeches, writing, or presentations.

常見錯誤

❌He gave a ready-made speech' (when meaning a pre-written one).
✅He gave a speech full of ready-made phrases.
💡'ready-made speech' could be confused with sense 1 (a pre-written text); use 'full of ready-made phrases' to show you mean the unoriginality sense.

ready-made — noun