white-haired
white-haired — adjective
1. having hair that has become white or grey, typically because of old age.
having hair that has become white or grey, typically because of old age.
A white-haired woman slowly walked her small dog through the park every afternoon.
attributive position: a white-haired [person]
The white-haired librarian helped Minh find a book on local history.
Ravindra's white-haired uncle still climbs mountains every weekend at the age of seventy.
Jessica described her white-haired grandfather as the kindest person she had ever known.
- grey-haired
more common for hair that is grey rather than fully white; slightly more neutral
- silver-haired
more poetic or complimentary; often used in descriptions of elegant older people
- white-headed
less common; usually describes birds or animals rather than people
文法句型
white-haired + noun (attributive)
be/look/become + white-haired (predicative)
用法筆記
Frequently used before nouns describing people or animals. Sometimes used about prematurely greying hair, but usually implies advanced age.
常見錯誤
2. being the favorite or most cherished person in a group, family, or organization.
being the favorite or most cherished person in a group, family, or organization.
After closing three big deals, Caleb became the white-haired boy of the sales team.
idiomatic expression: the white-haired boy
Jiwoo had always been her grandfather's white-haired child, the one who could do no wrong.
The coach treated Asher as his white-haired boy, giving him extra practice each week.
Mathieu was the white-haired boy in his band because he wrote all their original songs.
- fair-haired
the direct synonym; 'fair-haired boy' is used identically in the same figurative sense
- favorite
more general and common; does not carry the idiomatic fixed-phrase requirement
- darling
warmer, more affectionate; can describe both people and things
文法句型
the white-haired boy/girl/child (attributive before noun of person)
用法筆記
Appears almost exclusively in the fixed phrases white-haired boy, white-haired girl, or white-haired child. This figurative sense is less common than the literal sense and is marked as informal. Do not confuse with the literal meaning of having white hair.