sneer英 [snɪə(r)] 美 [snɪr]
外刊例句:
He has sneered at the multilateral trading system, which he sees as a bad deal for America.
他对多边贸易体系嗤之以鼻,认为该体系令美国受到了不公正的待遇。——《经济学人》
They can pout, sneer, move in and out of changes in lighting or shadows, and the virtual makeup stays as if it had been painted on.
她们可以噘嘴、冷笑,改变亮度和阴影。虚拟妆容完成后可以一直保留,就像是画上去的一样。——《纽约时报》
基本释义:
[verb]smile or speak in a contemptuous or mocking manner
[动词] 以轻蔑或嘲笑的方式微笑或说话
深入解读:
Sneer 是一个与熟词 sneeze (打喷嚏)十分形似的单词,其词源不详,可能源自北弗里斯兰语 sneere (轻蔑、鄙视),16世纪中期原指马“喷鼻息(snort)”。
或许是因为动作形似,到了17世纪后期开始发展出现在的主要含义“嘲笑、讥讽、嗤笑”,常用搭配为 sneer at sb/sth ,强调除了用讽刺言语讥笑外还带轻蔑的表情,比如:
他嘲笑好以反问答问的人。
He sneered at people who liked to retort a question by another question.
她也许会笑话我的新鞋子,因为买得很便宜并且有点儿太紧。She'll probably sneer at my new shoes because they're not expensive and a bit too snug.
Sneer 也可以进一步用来表示“嗤笑着说出或发出”以及“嗤笑得使、讥讽得使”,比如:
那个贪心的人嗤笑着给了一个含糊其词的回答。
The covetous man sneered a dubious reply.
特朗普先生嗤笑得使一项提议遭到否决。
Mr. Trump sneered down a proposal.
当用作名词时,自然表示“嘲笑、讥讽”这个面部神情,比如:
那个妖妇的脸上掠过一丝得意的冷笑。
A faint sneer of satisfaction crossed the siren's face.
另外值得注意的是, sneer 也可以用来表示“发哧声”,类似于人讥讽他人时发出的嗤声,比如:
黑暗中突然发出一片枪声,然后一颗子弹哧地从头顶上掠过。
A flurry of shots rang out in the darkness, and then a bullet sneered overhead.
名著用例:
He straightened up and found himself face-to-face with Draco Malfoy, who was wearing his usual sneer.
哈利直起腰,与德拉科·马尔福打了个照面,对方脸上挂着惯常的那种嘲讽人的笑容。
出自英国作家J.K.罗琳创作的长篇小说《哈利·波特与密室》(Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)。该小说是《哈利·波特》系列的第二部。
同近义词
· smirk: smile in an irritatingly smug, conceited, or silly way
· taunt: provoke or challenge (someone) with insulting remarks
· jeer: make rude and mocking remarks, typically in a loud voice
出处:头条号 @英语兴趣社长