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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Bankrupt: Definition, Usage & Common Mistakes (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：financially ruined (bankrupt)

bankrupt 🔊

/ˈbæŋkrʌpt/

adj.

Describes a person or company legally declared unable to pay back the money they owe.

Bankrupt definition illustrated by a closed store with a 'Bankrupt' sign on the door.

financially ruined 🔊

➕

/faɪˈnænʃəli ˈruːɪnd/

adj.

Describes the state of being legally insolvent, unable to pay debts.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Italian 'banca rotta', meaning 'broken bench'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a BANK account that is RUPTured (broken), leading to financial failure.

📖 Example

The hundred-year-old bookstore bankrupt and closed its doors last week because too many people shop online now. 🔊 The long-established bookstore became insolvent and shut down recently as a result of the shift to online shopping.

🔗 Collocations

go bankrupt – to become officially insolvent

declare bankrupt – to be officially stated as insolvent by a court

legally bankrupt – formally recognized as insolvent under the law

🔄 Synonyms

insolvent (adj.) – Unable to pay debts when they are due.

broke (adj.) – Informal term for having no money.

penniless (adj.) – Having little or no money.

🚫 Antonyms

solvent (adj.) – Having enough money to pay all debts.

affluent (adj.) – Having a great deal of money; wealthy.

wealthy (adj.) – Having a large amount of money or assets.

🌱 Derivatives

bankruptcy (n.) – The state of being bankrupt; the legal process for it.

bankrupt (v.) – To make someone bankrupt or to become bankrupt.

📖 Cultural Story

In medieval Italy, moneychangers worked on benches. If one failed, their bench was broken ('rotta'), a public sign of insolvency. This evolved into 'bankrupt'.

Meaning 2：utterly lacking (bankrupt)

bankrupt 🔊

/ˈbæŋkrʌpt/

adj.

Used figuratively to mean completely lacking in a particular quality or resource, like ideas or morals.

Figurative meaning of bankrupt shown by a dry, cracked riverbed symbolizing lack.

utterly lacking 🔊

➕

/ˈʌtərli ˈlækɪŋ/

adj.

Describes a state of complete absence or deficiency in a non-financial quality, such as ideas, morals, or creativity.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

The comedian's old jokes are bankrupt of any new ideas, so the audience doesn't laugh anymore. 🔊 The performer's routine is devoid of originality, resulting in a lack of laughter from the crowd.

🔗 Collocations

morally bankrupt – completely lacking ethical principles

bankrupt of ideas – having no new or useful thoughts

intellectually bankrupt – devoid of sound reasoning or substantial thought

🔄 Synonyms

devoid (adj.) – Entirely lacking or free from.

bereft (adj.) – Deprived of or lacking something, especially a non-material asset.

destitute (adj.) – Lacking a specified quality or item (formal).

🚫 Antonyms

replete (adj.) – Filled or well-supplied with something.

abundant (adj.) – Existing or available in large quantities; plentiful.

rich (adj.) – Having a plentiful supply of a desirable quality.