screwed
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
in a very difficult situation where it seems impossible to succeed or escape.
beset by unfortunate circumstances that appear insurmountable; in imminent danger of failure or punishment.
Simple“If I don't finish this report by midnight, I'm totally screwed.”
In context“The company realized they were screwed once the lead investor pulled out just days before the payroll was due.”
UsageOften used with 'totally' or 'completely' for emphasis.
Teacher's tipWhile common, this can be considered mildly vulgar by some speakers; students should avoid it in professional or formal writing.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
damaged so badly that it no longer works.
rendered inoperable or ruined through damage or mismanagement.
Simple“My laptop screen is screwed after I dropped it on the stairs.”
In context“The engine is completely screwed, and the mechanic says it will cost more to fix than the car is worth.”
UsageTypically used as a predicative adjective after the verb 'to be'.
From screw + -ed. * The modern sense of screwed originates in the mid-1600s with a sense of to screw as a means of "exerting pressure or coercion", probably in reference to instruments of torture (e.g. thumbscrews). It quickly gained a wider general sense of "in a bind; in unfortunate inescapable circumstances". When the verb screw gained a sexual connotation in the early 1700s, it joined the long-lasting association of sexual imagery as a metaphor for domination, leading to screwed gaining synonyms like fucked and shagged. On a more general note, this is a prime example of the frequent tendency for verb participles to evolve into participial adjectives. * The sense meaning "intoxicated" is from the early 1800s, and is associated with the term screwy, and the idiom to have a screw loose.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.