undead

undead — adjective

1. Describes a dead person or creature that continues to move or act, commonly foun

1.形容詞B2
釋義

Describes a dead person or creature that continues to move or act, commonly found in horror and fantasy fiction.

例句

The villagers fled when an undead army rose from the ancient battlefield.

adjective before noun: undead army / undead creature

According to the legend of Bran Castle, anyone killed by an undead vampire becomes undead themselves.

used after linking verb: becomes undead

同義詞
  • reanimated

    More technical; focuses on the process of being brought back to life (a reanimated corpse), whereas undead is broader and more common in fantasy

  • unliving

    Rarer and more poetic; stresses the lack of true life rather than the return from death

反義詞
  • alive

    Having full life functions; the ordinary opposite of undead in fantasy contexts

  • dead

    Truly dead with no movement or animation; an undead being is not simply dead

文法句型

undead + noun

be/become undead

用法筆記

Frequently placed before a noun (undead army, undead creature) or after a linking verb (the wolf was undead). Unlike the ordinary adjective dead, undead is almost exclusively used in fantasy, horror, and supernatural contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The zombie was dead but still moving.
✅The zombie was undead
💡dead but still moving.' — 'undead' is the single word for this concept; 'dead but moving' is merely a description of it.

2. A collective term for beings that have died but remain active in the world — suc

2.形容詞B2
釋義

A collective term for beings that have died but remain active in the world — such as zombies, vampires, ghosts, and skeletons — especially as a group or category in horror stories, fantasy games, and folklore.

例句

The villagers stacked wooden crosses at every gate to keep the undead away.

the undead as plural noun phrase

In many fantasy worlds, the undead are raised by dark sorcerers to fight living armies.

passive: are raised / are controlled

同義詞
  • the damned

    More religious or moral in tone; implies punishment or sin, whereas the undead is a neutral fantasy category

  • the living dead

    A common synonym that explicitly contrasts with 'the living', but longer and less frequent in gaming contexts

反義詞
  • the living

    People who are alive; the natural opposite category in stories that contrast the undead with the living

文法句型

the undead + plural verb

用法筆記

Always takes the definite article the and functions as a plural noun: The undead are rising (not The undead is rising). This sense is most common in discussions of fantasy fiction, role-playing games, and horror films.

常見錯誤

❌Undead is scary.
✅The undead are scary.
💡'the undead' is a plural noun and requires a plural verb.
❌I fought against undead.
✅I fought against the undead.
💡the definite article is required in this collective sense.