famine
gb/fˈæmən/ us/fˈæmən/
B1
英语
~ 6400
义项
0 个义项
名词
B1
event
1
extreme, widespread lack of food
A very serious lack of food in a large area, for a long time, that makes many people go hungry or die.
用法模式：
famine in [a place]; famine caused by [something]
常见错误：
Learners sometimes use "famine" to talk about one person's hunger (e.g., *"I have a famine"*). This is incorrect. "Famine" is used for a large area or population, not for a single person. Learners also sometimes confuse "famine" with "drought": a drought is a long period with little or no rain, while a famine is a severe lack of food (which can be caused by drought, war, or other problems).
近义词
starvation (Focuses more on the condition of not having enough food, especially at the individual level, rather than the large-scale crisis.)
|
food shortage (Less strong and less dramatic; can be smaller or shorter-term than a famine.)
|
hunger (Often describes the feeling or ongoing condition, not necessarily a large-scale crisis like a famine.)
反义词
abundance (Describes having more than enough of something, including food, which is the opposite of extreme lack in a famine.)
|
plenty (Everyday term for having enough or a lot of food, contrasting with the severe lack in famine.)
搭配
severe famine
|widespread famine
|famine relief
|famine victims
|famine-stricken areas
|famine and drought
主题
society
|health
|environment
|economics
|nature
例句
- The drought lasted for years and eventually led to a devastating famine across the region.
- International aid groups rushed in food supplies to help people affected by the famine.
- Millions died in the famine after the war destroyed farms and transport routes.
- The government declared a state of emergency as reports of famine began to spread.
- History books describe the potato famine as one of the worst human disasters of the nineteenth century.
学习者例句
- The country is suffering from a terrible famine.
- Many children became sick during the famine because they had almost no food.
- Foreign doctors came to help people in the famine area.
- The news showed people walking long distances to escape the famine.
- Rain finally came after three years and ended the famine.
名词
B2
state
2
severe shortage of something
A very serious lack of something important or wanted, not just food.
用法模式：
a famine of [something]
常见错误：
Learners may not realize this is a figurative use and may think it is always about food. When used with "of" (e.g., "a famine of ideas"), it always means a very strong lack, not literal hunger.
近义词
shortage (More general and less dramatic; does not always suggest an extreme or long-lasting lack.)
|
dearth (Formal word for a lack; similar strength but more common in written or formal English.)
|
scarcity (Emphasizes that something is hard to find, but may not sound as extreme or dramatic as "famine".)
反义词
abundance (Emphasizes that there is a large amount of something, the opposite of a severe lack.)
|
plenty (Informal, everyday word for having enough or a lot of something, opposite of serious shortage.)
搭配
a famine of ideas
|a famine of jobs
|a famine of opportunities
|a famine of information
主题
general
|resources
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
例句
- There is a real famine of affordable housing in many big cities.
- The company is facing a famine of new ideas and fresh talent.
- For young people without experience, there seems to be a famine of good jobs.
- In some rural areas, there is a famine of basic medical services.
- Critics complain about a famine of honest leadership in national politics.
学习者例句
- Students in this town feel a famine of fun places to go.
- There is a famine of nurses in the local hospital.
- Young artists often talk about a famine of time and money.
- In small villages, there can be a famine of good schools.
- Many people think there is a famine of trust in society today.
语法
词典原形
famine
IPA
GB/fˈæmən/
US/fˈæmən/
音节与重音
fam - ine （2 个音节）
Stress on 1st syllable (fam)
词形变化
Noun
- Base: famine
- Plural: famine, famines
词族
Forms
famines
noun
Core family
famish
verb
famished
adjective
相关表达
feast or famine
1/fˈist ˈɔɹ fˈæmən/
idiom
only extremes of plenty and lack
Used when there are only two situations: one time you have too much of something, and another time you have almost none, with no normal middle level.
例句
- Work as a freelancer is often feast or famine: some months you are overloaded with projects, and others you have almost nothing.
- In this small tourist town, business is feast or famine because most customers come only in the summer.
- His income is feast or famine, so he saves as much as he can during the good times.