ngon ngót
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Slightly diminished, slightly reduced: Describes a state where something has decreased or been consumed by a small, often gradual, amount. It often implies a subtle, almost imperceptible reduction.
- Used to describe consumption: Frequently applied to substances like tobacco, food, or resources that are being used up little by little.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Thuốc lào ngon ngót vì trời hanh. (The tobacco diminished slightly because the weather was dry.)
- Củi trong bếp cháy ngon ngót cả đêm. (The firewood in the stove burned down slowly all night.)
- Lương thực dự trữ cứ ngon ngót đi theo thời gian. (The stored food supplies kept gradually depleting over time.)
Advanced Usage
- Describing gradual loss: Used to emphasize a slow, steady, and often unavoidable decrease.
- Tiền tiết kiệm ngon ngót sau mấy tháng thất nghiệp. (The savings dwindled away after several months of unemployment.)
Variants and Related Words
- Ngót (verb): To decrease, to diminish. This is the root word.
- Lương thực đã ngót đi phân nửa. (The food supplies have diminished by half.)
- Ngót nghét (adjective, reduplicative): Another reduplicative form with a similar meaning of being nearly all gone or almost depleted.
- Tiền trong ví đã ngót nghét. (The money in the wallet is almost all gone.)
Synonyms
- Hao hụt: to be lost, to be depleted (often implies waste or loss).
- Vơi đi: to lessen, to reduce in quantity.
- Giảm sút: to decline, to drop (more general).
Notes on Usage
- Tone and Register: "Ngon ngót" is a descriptive, somewhat colloquial adjective, often found in spoken Vietnamese or literary descriptions. It is a reduplicative form (từ láy) of "ngót," which intensifies or softens the meaning, suggesting a slight or gradual action.
- Typical Contexts: Most commonly used to describe the consumption of smokable substances (like tobacco), fuel, food, money, or time. It conveys a sense of something being steadily used up.
- xem ngót (láy)