"skeptical about"是形容词短语,核心意思是:对……持怀疑态度;不相信……的真实性/有效性。
其中:
"skeptical"(形容词)表示“怀疑的;不肯轻信的”(源于名词"skeptic",意为“怀疑论者”);
"about"是介词,引出“怀疑的对象”(即“对什么事/什么人怀疑”)。
主语(通常是人)+ be动词 + skeptical about + 怀疑的对象(名词/代词/动名词)
"skeptical about"的对象可以是观点、主张、计划、能力、说法、产品等,只要是“需要验证真实性/可靠性的事物”都能用。
接名词:
I'm skeptical about his excuse for being late.(我对他迟到的借口持怀疑态度。)
Many people are skeptical about the effectiveness of the new vaccine.(很多人对新疫苗的有效性表示怀疑。)
接代词:
She's skeptical about it—she thinks the data is fake.(她对此持怀疑态度——她认为数据是假的。)
接动名词(doing):
He's skeptical about investing all his money in real estate.(他对把全部钱投到房地产持怀疑态度。)
Scientists are skeptical about claiming the discovery without further tests.(科学家对未做进一步测试就宣称发现的做法表示怀疑。)
可以用副词(如deeply、somewhat、very)修饰"skeptical",表达怀疑的程度:
I'm deeply skeptical about his promises—he never keeps them.(我对他的承诺深表怀疑——他从来没兑现过。)
She's somewhat skeptical about the new policy, but willing to try.(她对新政策有点怀疑,但愿意尝试。)
"doubtful about"(更口语,侧重“不确定”):I'm doubtful about whether he'll come.(我不确定他会不会来。)
"suspicious of"(侧重“怀疑有恶意/问题”,比"skeptical"更负面):The police are suspicious of his alibi.(警方对他的不在场证明持怀疑(怀疑有问题)。)
"skeptical"后面也可以接"of"(用法与"about"几乎一致),但"about"更常用:
She's skeptical of the company's claims.(= She's skeptical about the company's claims.)
"skeptical about"是表达“怀疑”的常用短语,核心是“对某事物的真实性/可靠性有疑问”,主语必须是人,后面接具体的怀疑对象(名词/动名词等)。用对它,能精准表达“不轻信”的态度~