hovel

IPA/ˈhɒvl/
KK[hˈʌvəl]IPA/ˈhʌvl/

hovel — 名詞

  • hovelsingular
  • hovelsplural

1. a cramped and filthy place where someone lives, so poorly maintained that it is

1.名詞B2
釋義

破陋小屋

破舊骯髒、不宜居住的小屋

a cramped and filthy place where someone lives, so poorly maintained that it is unhealthy or extremely unpleasant to stay in

例句

For years, Folake and her three children lived in a cramped mud-brick hovel.

多年來，Folake 和她的三個孩子擠在一間狹窄的泥磚陋屋裡。

collocation: cramped + hovel for describing smallness

Omar worked two jobs to save for a deposit and escape his damp, leaky hovel.

Omar 兼兩份工作存保證金，才搬離那間潮濕漏水的破房子。

adjectives before hovel: damp, leaky

同義詞
  • shack

    more neutral — a simple, roughly built house that may or may not be dirty

  • dump

    informal — emphasizes mess and untidiness rather than the building's structure

  • hovel-like dwelling

    used when the building is not literally a home but someone lives there in poor conditions

反義詞
  • palace

    a large, grand, luxurious home

  • mansion

    a very large, impressive house

文法句型

a [adjective] hovel

live in / be reduced to a hovel

用法筆記

Strongly negative and emotive word. Unlike shack or hut, which can be neutral or even positive in some contexts, hovel always carries the speaker's judgment of disgust or pity.

常見錯誤

❌They built a cosy little hovel by the lake.
✅They built a cosy little cabin by the lake.
💡'hovel' always implies dirt and decay, not just small size.