cautious

cautious — 形容詞

1. A cautious person thinks carefully before acting and avoids unnecessary risks or

1.形容詞B2
釋義

謹慎的

形容人小心、不冒險的個性

A cautious person thinks carefully before acting and avoids unnecessary risks or danger.

例句

Theo is a cautious driver and always checks his mirrors before changing lanes.

Theo 是個謹慎的駕駛，每次換車道前都會先看看後視鏡。

cautious + noun describing a person's habitual behaviour

A cautious hiker would never climb a mountain without the right gear.

一個謹慎的登山客絕不會在沒有合適裝備的情況下爬山。

同義詞
  • careful

    more general; cautious implies a stronger focus on avoiding risk

  • prudent

    more formal, often used in business or financial contexts

  • wary

    suggests suspicion or alertness to a specific danger rather than a general character trait

反義詞
  • reckless

    describes someone who takes unnecessary risks

  • careless

    describes someone who does not pay enough attention

常見錯誤

❌She is a caution driver.
✅She is a cautious driver.
💡'cautious' is the adjective; 'caution' is a noun and cannot modify a noun directly.

2. A cautious action or plan is done with careful thought and preparation, often sl

2.形容詞B2
釋義

審慎的

形容行動或計劃經過仔細考慮、不輕率

A cautious action or plan is done with careful thought and preparation, often slowly to avoid mistakes.

例句

The firm took a cautious approach and tested the new software for months before releasing it.

那家公司採取審慎的做法，測試了好幾個月才推出新軟體。

cautious approach — common collocation for a deliberate plan

Doctors recommended a cautious treatment plan that started with the lowest possible dose.

醫生建議了一套審慎的治療方案，從最低劑量開始。

同義詞
  • careful

    less formal; cautious adds a sense of slowness and deliberation

  • conservative

    often used for numbers, estimates, or plans that avoid overreaching

  • measured

    suggests restraint and proportionality in a response

反義詞
  • rash

    describes actions taken without enough thought

  • hasty

    describes actions done too quickly

用法筆記

This sense only applies to actions, plans, or behaviours — not to people directly. Compare with sense 1: 'a cautious person' describes character, while 'a cautious step' describes the action itself.

常見錯誤

❌She gave a cautious' (missing noun).
✅She gave a cautious answer.
💡'cautious' is an adjective and needs a noun to modify.

3. Feeling or expressing a limited hope that something good might happen, while acc

3.形容詞B2
釋義

審慎樂觀的

不完全確定但仍抱持希望的心態

Feeling or expressing a limited hope that something good might happen, while accepting that success is not guaranteed.

例句

Doctors are cautiously optimistic that the new treatment will help patients recover faster.

醫護人員對新療法持審慎樂觀的態度，認為它有助於病患更快康復。

cautiously optimistic — fixed phrase for guarded hope

Wen felt cautious about applying to the top university, knowing how competitive it was.

Wen 對申請那所頂尖大學抱持審慎的態度，因為她知道競爭非常激烈。

cautious about + [noun/gerund] for hesitation or guarded feeling

同義詞
  • guarded

    very similar; 'guarded optimism' and 'cautious optimism' are interchangeable

  • reserved

    suggests holding back one's feelings; less specific to hope

  • tentative

    implies a trial or provisional attitude rather than a feeling of hope

反義詞
  • confident

    feeling sure of success, with no doubt

  • optimistic

    expecting a good result without reservation

文法句型

cautious about [something]

用法筆記

Most common in the fixed phrase 'cautiously optimistic'. The adjective itself (without 'optimistic') can express guarded feelings about a future outcome, often with 'about'.