hunted
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective: 1. Having the appearance or expression of someone being pursued or persecuted: Describes a person or animal that shows fear, anxiety, or exhaustion characteristic of being hunted or chased. 2. Relating to the state of being sought or chased: Pertaining to the condition of a quarry or prey.
Usage
The adjective "hunted" is primarily used to describe the fearful, anxious, or desperate look, demeanor, or state of a person or animal that is, or feels like, it is being pursued. It is often used attributively (before a noun).
Examples
Attributive use (before a noun):
- The fugitive had a hunted expression as he glanced over his shoulder.
- She spoke in a hunted whisper, afraid of being overheard.
- The documentary showed the hunted animals fleeing from the predators.
Predicative use (after a linking verb):
- After days of evasion, the spy looked hunted and exhausted.
- The deer appeared hunted, its eyes wide with terror.
Advanced Usage
- Metaphorical/Figurative Use: "Hunted" can be used to describe someone who feels psychologically pursued by guilt, anxiety, or fear, even if no physical pursuit is occurring.
- Haunted by his past mistakes, he moved through life with a hunted air.
Variants and Related Words
- Hunt (verb): To pursue and kill (wild animals) for sport or food; to search diligently for someone or something.
- Hunter (noun): A person or animal that hunts.
- Hunting (noun/gerund): The activity of hunting.
Synonyms
- Persecuted
- Harried
- Hounded
- Pursued
- Stalked
Antonyms
- Safe
- Secure
- Untroubled
- At ease
Idioms and Phrases
- To look/feel hunted: To appear or feel as if one is being chased or persecuted.
- Ever since the scandal broke, the politician has looked hunted during every public appearance.
Adjective
- reflecting the fear or terror of one who is hunted
- the hopeless hunted look on the prisoner's face
- a glitter of apprehension in her hunted eyes