crea·ture /ˈkriːtʃə $ -ər/ ●●● W3 noun [countableC] 1 LIVING THINGHBliving thing 生物 anything that is living, such as an animal, fish, or insect, but not a plant 生物;动物 all the living creatures in the sea 海洋中所有的生物
creatures of the deep (=animals and fish that live in the ocean) 海洋生物
► see thesaurus at animal 2 STRANGEHBTTSimaginary or strange 想象的或奇异的 an imaginary animal or person, or one that is very strange and frightening 不可名状的生物,怪物 creatures from outer space 来自外太空的生物
3. a creature of habit HABITsomeone who always does things in the same way or at the same time 墨守成规的人 4 STH made or invented 制造或发明的东西 formalsomething MADE OR INVENTEDINVENT something, especially something bad, that was made or invented by a particular person or organization 创造物〔尤指不好的东西〕;产物creature of The poll tax was a creature of the government. 人头税是政府的发明。
5 SB controlled by STH 受某物控制的某人somebody CONTROLLED BY somethingCONTROL someone who is controlled or influenced a lot by something 受支配的人,傀儡,奴才creature of He was a creature of the military government. 他是军政府的傀儡。
6 beautiful/stupid/adorable etc creature literaryPERSON/PEOPLE someone who has a particular character or quality 漂亮的/愚蠢的/讨人喜欢的人等 He was the most beautiful creature Dot had ever seen. 他是多特见到过的最漂亮的人。
beautiful/stupid/adorable etc creature• To me, Dominic was always a beautiful creature.• His doe's a beautiful creature, too.• The Copper Beech Naiads were the most beautiful creatures any of them had ever seen.• Dominic remains, I would say, a preposterously beautiful creature.• Drank five margaritas and waxed poetic about my screenplay to some adorable creature.• It is the same with visual responses to light and darkness, to summer and winter, to beautiful creatures or plants.• I was there till I was eighteen: marriage would be fun; husbands were adorable creatures.• They were beautiful creatures with red legs, black head and thorax, and black white-ringed antennae. n COLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + creaturea living creatureThe early Greeks believed that plants were living creatures that felt pain and pleasure.
a little/small/tiny creaturetiny creatures such as mice
a beautiful/magnificent creatureThe buffalo is a magnificent creature.
a wild creatureDamage to the environment affects all wild creatures.
a sea/marine creature (also an ocean creature)The first living creatures were marine creatures.
a furry creatureTown dwellers see the squirrel as a cute furry creature, but to farmers they’re a pest.
a dangerous creaturedangerous creatures such as tigers
a nocturnal creature (=awake at night and sleeping in the day)As darkness falls, nocturnal creatures begin to make an appearance.
a primitive/simple creature (=one with only a few cells)primitive creatures like bacteria
a complex creature (=consisting of many different parts)Human beings are extremely complex creatures.