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小词详解 | adversary

田间小站 田间小站 2022-09-30

adversary 英 [ˈædvəsəri] 美 [ˈædvərseri]
SAT TEM4 TEM8

外刊例句

  • But consistent behaviour can have as deterrent an effect as erratic unpredictability: if your adversaries believe that you will keep your word, then your word can shape their actions.
    然而始终一致的行为和古怪的不可预测性具有同样的威慑力:如果你的对手相信你会说到做到,那么你的话语会塑造他们的行为。
    ——《经济学人》
  • The dialogue with allies less than two months into the new administration also underlines the president’s goal of shoring up international partnerships to face down adversaries and, in turn, further American interests.
    新政府上任不到两个月就与盟友展开对话,也凸显了总统的目标:加强国际伙伴关系以挫败对手,进而促进美国的利益。
    ——《纽约时报》

基本释义

[noun] one's opponent in a contest, conflict, or dispute
[名词] 在竞赛、冲突或争论中的对手


深入解读

Adversary 是一个与小站两个多月前推送的 adversity 比较形近的单词,两者同源,都是源自拉丁语 adversus (反对、敌对),但不要误以为前者是后者的衍生形容词。

其中, adversary 一词于14世纪中期先后经古法语 adversarie (敌人、敌意的对手)和英国法语 adverser 进入英语后即用作名词表示“敌手、对手”,多指在竞赛、争论、冲突、战斗等中的敌手或对手,内涵范围包括从单纯的反对到积极的敌对,比如:

  • 她赤裸裸地表示想得到他的工作,以至于他们之间说话都带着火药味。因此,在他眼中,她是他在公司中的头号对手。
    She
    coveted his job so blatantly that conversations between them were tense. Hence, he saw her as his main adversary within the company.

此外, adversary 也可以用作形容词表示“对立的、敌对的”,同 adversarial ,尤指在政治或法律制度上对立的或敌对的,比如:

  • 他的敌对态度使我们的生命处于危险之中。
    His adversary
    stance put our lives at hazard.

值得注意的是, the Adversary 这个专用表达是撒旦(Satan)的原名,即指“撒旦、魔鬼、人之大敌”。

名著用例
"Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform," said Hermione, "which gives you a split-second advantage."
“对手不知道你打算施什么魔法,”赫敏说,“这就使你占有一刹那间的优势。”
出自英国作家J.K.罗琳创作的长篇小说《哈利·波特与混血王子》(Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)。该小说是《哈利·波特》系列的第六部。

同近义词

  • nemesis: a long-standing rival; an archenemy
  • rival: a person or thing competing with another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field of activity
  • antagonist: a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary

往期回顾
小词详解 | relinquish
小词详解 | permeate
小词详解 | haphazard

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