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SAT TEM8 GRE
外刊例句
- For President Donald Trump, it is an unmissable opportunity to gloat.
对唐纳德·特朗普总统来说,这是一个不容错过的幸灾乐祸的机会。
——《经济学人》 - But young executives like Mr. Levie are not gloating over Mr. Ballmer’s exit.
但是列维等年轻高管也不会因为鲍尔默的退出而幸灾乐祸。
——《纽约时报》
基本释义
[verb] dwell on one's own success or another's misfortune with smugness or malignant pleasure
[动词] 沾沾自喜地或恶意满足地老是想着自己的成功或别人的不幸
深入解读
Gloat 这个单词比较好记,结构上就是在熟词 goat (山羊)的第二个字母处多加了一个 L 。该词源自斯堪的纳维亚诸语言,包括古北欧语 glotta (露齿笑、露齿轻蔑地笑)、瑞典方言 glotta (窥视、偷看)等,或者源自中古高地德语 glotzen (凝视、张口结舌地看),16世纪70年代出现在英语中后原用来表示“偷看”。
而最早有记录到了1748年后, gloat 开始发展出现在的主要含义表示“洋洋得意、沾沾自喜、幸灾乐祸”,具体来说就是因自己的成功或好运而沾沾自喜,或因别人的失败或霉运而幸灾乐祸,常用搭配 gloat about/at/over sth ,通常意味着长时间或频繁地盯着某物,尤其是秘密地偷看,并带着恶毒的或不洁的满足感,但有时候也过于强调邪恶的满足感而模糊或去掉盯着看的概念,比如:
- 看到他受辱,他那些靠不住的朋友们不失时机地表示幸灾乐祸。
His fickle friends were quick to gloat at his humiliation. - 昨天她还在大街上四处奔走寻找工作。而今天她一直在为获得了新工作而沾沾自喜。
Yesterday she was still tramping the streets looking for a job. But today she is continually gloating about her new job.
此外, gloat 一词也可以作名词表示“洋洋得意、沾沾自喜、幸灾乐祸”,比如:
- 你瞧她眼神里的那副得意样子。她的脾气十分暴躁,容易在生气时对人大喊大叫。
Watch the gloat in her eye. She has a volatile temper and is prone to shouting at people in anger.
名著用例
None of the others had noticed a thing; all of them were now helping themselves to food while gloating over Harry's narrow escape; Fred, George, and Ginny were still singing.
其他人谁都没有注意到。这会儿他们都在一边动手盛饭菜,一边为哈利的侥幸脱身而欢欣鼓舞。弗雷德、乔治和金妮还在唱歌。
出自英国作家J·K·罗琳的奇幻小说《哈利·波特》系列的第五本《哈利·波特与凤凰社》(Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)。
同近义词
- crow: (of a person) express great pride or triumph, especially in a tone of gloating satisfaction
- preen: congratulate or pride oneself
- boast: talk with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities