deadwood
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- Unproductive or superfluous people or things: Refers to individuals or elements within a group or system that are no longer useful, effective, or needed, and thus hinder progress or efficiency.
- Dead branches or wood on a tree: Literally refers to the parts of a tree or plant that have died and remain attached.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Unproductive element):
- The new manager was hired to cut the deadwood from the overstaffed department.
- The committee removed a lot of bureaucratic deadwood to streamline the process.
- Noun (Dead part of a tree):
- The gardener pruned the deadwood from the old oak tree to help it grow.
- Strong winds broke off the deadwood and scattered it across the yard.
Advanced Usage
- "To be deadwood": To be a person or thing that is obsolete and a burden.
- After the company's restructuring, several outdated procedures were identified as deadwood.
- "To clear/cut out the deadwood": To remove unproductive or unnecessary elements from an organization.
- The CEO's first task was to clear the deadwood from the executive team.
Variants and Related Words
- Dead weight (n): An oppressive burden or a person/thing that is not productive.
- The failing division became a dead weight on the company's profits.
- Superfluous (adj): Exceeding what is sufficient or necessary; extra and not needed.
- The report contained a lot of superfluous details.
Synonyms
- Drone: A person who does no useful work and lives off others.
- Encumbrance: A burden or impediment.
- Liability (in a non-financial sense): A person or thing whose presence or behavior is a cause for concern.
Related Phrases
- Dead wood (alternative spelling): Often used interchangeably with "deadwood."
- The proposal aims to trim the dead wood from the annual budget.
Idioms
- To be like deadwood: To be completely inactive or useless.
- Since the project was canceled, that entire team has been like deadwood.
- Deadwood in the system: Refers to inefficient procedures or roles within an organization.
- We need to identify and eliminate the deadwood in the system to improve customer service.
Noun
- someone or something that is unwanted and unneeded
- a branch or a part of a tree that is dead