lady

lady — 名詞

1. a polite or somewhat old-fashioned expression used to talk about a woman, especi

1.名詞B1
釋義

女士；小姐

對女性的禮貌或客氣稱呼

a polite or somewhat old-fashioned expression used to talk about a woman, especially one whose name you do not know or when you wish to be respectful

例句

An elderly lady at the bus stop asked Shirin for directions to the post office.

一位年長的女士在公車站向 Shirin 問路，想知道郵局怎麼走。

elderly lady — polite term for an older woman

A young lady from the travel agency is waiting for Dr. Chen in the reception area with documents.

旅行社的一位年輕小姐在接待區拿著文件等陳醫師。

young lady — polite way to mention a woman

同義詞
  • woman

    neutral, modern, and the most common term

  • female

    more scientific or formal; can sound clinical when referring to a person

反義詞
  • gentleman

    the male equivalent in polite address

用法筆記

In modern everyday English, woman is more common than lady for neutral reference. Lady can sound old-fashioned or overly formal in casual contexts.

常見錯誤

❌I saw a lady on the bus.' (sounds too formal in casual speech)
✅I saw a woman on the bus.
💡lady suggests a polite distance that feels stiff among friends.

2. a woman who carries herself with grace, good manners, and the traditional qualit

2.名詞B2
釋義

淑女

舉止優雅有教養的女性

a woman who carries herself with grace, good manners, and the traditional qualities expected of someone from a refined upbringing

例句

When the power went out during the wedding dinner, Chidi's mother remained a true lady and calmly lit candles.

婚宴進行到一半突然停電時，Chidi 的母親展現了真正的淑女風範，沉著地點起蠟燭。

a true lady — woman of grace and composure

The etiquette school taught the girls how to behave like proper young ladies, from table manners to polite conversation.

那所禮儀學校教導女孩們從餐桌禮儀到談吐應對，如何當個端莊的淑女。

proper young ladies — trained in refined manners

同義詞
  • gentlewoman

    formal and historical; rarely used today

  • dame

    the British honour title; dated as a general term for a refined woman

  • gentleman

    the male counterpart in behaviour, not a synonym

反義詞
  • mess

    informal contrast — 'a lady, not a mess'

用法筆記

Describing someone as 'a lady' or 'a real lady' in this sense is a compliment about their manners and behaviour, not their social class.

常見錯誤

❌She is a lady.' (too vague when you mean she has good manners)
✅She is such a lady.' or 'She behaves like a true lady.
💡the intensifier makes the compliment clearer.

3. placed in front of a job title to indicate that the worker is female, an increas

3.名詞B2
釋義

女職稱

放在職業前表示女性的舊式用法

placed in front of a job title to indicate that the worker is female, an increasingly dated practice in modern English since the profession itself is now seen as gender-neutral

例句

In the 1970s the clinic hired a lady doctor to run the women's health department, which was still unusual then.

在 1970 年代，那間診所聘用了一位女醫生來負責婦女健康部門，當時這還不常見。

a lady doctor — old-fashioned job label

Mauricio's aunt was one of the first lady judges in her country.

Mauricio 的姑姑是該國最早的女法官之一。

lady judges — gender-marked professional title

同義詞
  • woman

    as in 'woman doctor' — still gender-marked but more neutral than 'lady'

用法筆記

This usage is increasingly seen as old-fashioned or unnecessary because it implies that the default professional is male. In modern writing, it is usually better to say 'a doctor', 'a judge', or 'a driver' without marking gender.

常見錯誤

❌She is a lady lawyer.' (sounds dated and potentially patronising)
✅She is a lawyer.
💡the word 'lady' before a job title is rarely needed in modern English.

4. a direct address to a woman that conveys irritation or disrespect, and is consid

4.名詞B2
釋義

喂！小姐

以不客氣語氣直接稱呼女性

a direct address to a woman that conveys irritation or disrespect, and is considered rude by most women in modern society

例句

Hey lady, you are blocking the entire aisle with that shopping cart!

喂，小姐，妳的購物車把整條走道都堵住了！

Hey lady — rude, impatient address

The man shouted Watch where you are going, lady as Trang stepped off the bus.

當 Trang 走下公車時，那名男子大聲喊道：「小姐，走路要看路啊！」

Watch where you are going, lady — aggressive tone

同義詞
  • ma'am

    polite address; the opposite in tone

用法筆記

This is different from polite uses of 'lady' (Sense 1). The rude tone comes from the context, the imperative verb, and the raised voice. Learners should avoid using 'lady' as a direct form of address unless they are certain it will be received politely.

常見錯誤

❌Excuse me, lady, you dropped your wallet.' (unintentionally sounds rude)
✅Excuse me, ma'am, you dropped your wallet.
💡use 'ma'am' or no address term at all for polite attention.

5. a restroom for women inside a public facility such as a restaurant, a hotel, a t

5.名詞A2
釋義

女廁

公共場所的女性洗手間

a restroom for women inside a public facility such as a restaurant, a hotel, a theatre, or an airport, often marked with a sign that reads 'Ladies' or 'Ladies' room'

例句

Excuse me, could you tell me where the ladies' room is in this shopping centre?

不好意思，請問這間購物中心的女廁在哪裡？

ladies' room — polite inquiry for the women's toilet

A yellow sign pointed to the ladies' on the second floor of the mall, next to the food court entrance.

一面黃色指示牌指向購物中心二樓的女廁，就在美食街入口旁邊。

the ladies' — shortened form for women's toilet

同義詞
反義詞

用法筆記

Almost always used in the plural possessive form — 'the ladies'' or 'the ladies' room'. The singular 'lady's room' is incorrect for this meaning. The men's equivalent is 'the gents' or 'the gentlemen's'.

常見錯誤

❌Where is the lady's room?
✅Where is the ladies' room?
💡the plural possessive 'ladies' ' is the standard form.

6. used as a polite way to begin a speech or announcement by addressing the female

6.名詞A2
釋義

各位女士

演講開頭對女性聽眾的稱呼

used as a polite way to begin a speech or announcement by addressing the female members of an audience, almost always paired with 'gentlemen'

例句

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the opening night of the Edinburgh Festival, announced the mayor on stage.

「各位女士、各位先生，歡迎來到愛丁堡藝術節的開幕之夜，」市長在臺上宣布。

Ladies and gentlemen — standard formal speech opening

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for supporting our charity dinner for the new library wing.

「晚安，各位女士、各位先生，感謝大家支持我們為新圖書館舉辦的慈善晚宴。」

ladies and gentlemen — polite audience greeting

同義詞

用法筆記

Always appears as part of the fixed phrase 'Ladies and gentlemen' (gentlemen first in this order). It is used regardless of the actual gender mix of the audience and is the most formal and standard way to open a public address in English.

7. a title used in the United Kingdom for a woman of high social rank, or for the w

7.名詞B1
釋義

夫人；女爵

英國貴族女性的頭銜

a title used in the United Kingdom for a woman of high social rank, or for the wife or daughter of a lord, a titled man, or a knight, placed before her first name

例句

In Pride and Prejudice, Lady Catherine de Bourgh uses her noble title to demand respect from everyone around her.

在《傲慢與偏見》中，Lady Catherine de Bourgh 動用她的貴族頭銜來要求周遭的人對她畢恭畢敬。

Lady + full name — aristocratic title in literature

The charity ball was hosted by Lady Margaret at her family estate in the Scottish Highlands.

那場慈善舞會由 Lady Margaret 在蘇格蘭高地的家族莊園舉辦。

Lady Margaret — noble title before first name

同義詞
  • dame

    a female knight in the British honours system; used with first name

  • baroness

    a specific noble rank below countess

  • countess

    a specific noble rank

反義詞
  • lord

    the male equivalent title

用法筆記

The title 'Lady' is followed by the person's first name (e.g. Lady Sarah), NOT by their surname alone ('Lady Smith' is incorrect unless a specific formal convention applies). For the husband, the equivalent is 'Lord'.

常見錯誤

❌Lady Smith arrived at the castle.
✅Lady Sarah arrived at the castle.
💡a British noble title is followed by the first name, not the family name.

8. the name given to Mary, the woman who gave birth to Jesus Christ, used especiall

8.名詞C1
釋義

聖母

耶穌之母瑪利亞的稱號

the name given to Mary, the woman who gave birth to Jesus Christ, used especially in Catholic and Anglican worship and always within the fixed expression 'Our Lady'

例句

In the Catholic church, worshippers often light a candle and say a prayer to Our Lady for healing.

在天主教會中，信徒經常點燃蠟燭向聖母祈求醫治。

Our Lady — religious title for Mary

A beautiful painting of Our Lady hung above the altar in the small chapel.

一幅美麗的聖母畫像掛在小教堂的祭壇上方。

painting of Our Lady — artistic depiction of the Virgin Mary

同義詞

用法筆記

Always capitalised as 'Our Lady'. The phrase 'Our Lady of [place]' refers to the Virgin Mary according to a specific apparition or shrine location (e.g. Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Fatima). This is a proper noun and should not be altered.

常見錯誤

❌our lady' (lowercase)
✅Our Lady' (capitalised)
💡the title is always capitalised as a proper noun.