| 词组 | defective, deficient |
| 释义 | defective, deficient Some recent British commentators (Phythian 1979, Bryson 1984, Chambers 1985) are at pains to distinguish these words. Their consensus seems to be that defective emphasizes a flaw, while deficient emphasizes a lack—or, put another way, that defective is more qualitative and deficient more quantitative. Fair enough, if you remember that these are tendencies and not absolute distinctions. Contexts will occur in which either one might be used. Here are a few typical examples: • ... problems of children with defective eyesight — Current Biography, March 1966 • ... knew that the door was defective and would likely blow out —Robert Sherrill, TV. Y. Times Book Rev., 10 Oct. 1976 • ... it must have seemed a defective and in some respects tendentious piece of work —Times Literary Supp., 19 Feb. 1971 • ... her dedication as an artist was as total as her humanity was defective —Peter Davison, Atlantic, February 1972 • Its answers were inadequate, ... its vision deficient —Andrew M. Greeley, Change, April 1972 • ... because of deficient rains in Ethiopia —Robert Claiborne, Saturday Rev., 13 Nov. 1976 • ... which makes sprightly reading but is seriously deficient in American historical perspective —Walter Arnold, N.Y. Times Book Rev., 11 Mar. 1973 • ... are deficient in hiring and promoting women — Susanna McBee, McCall's, September 1971 Both can be used as nouns: • ... as something resembling a mental defective — N.Y. Times, 1969 • ... doesn't treat the reader like a mental deficient — Ted Morgan, Saturday Rev., 29 Sept. 1979 See also deficient. |
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