本文经授权转载自微信公众号:田间小站
SAT TEM8 GMAT GRE
外刊例句
- Snapchat has captivated youngsters in the West with its quickly disappearing content and playful features.
Snapchat 以其迅速消失的内容和有趣的功能迷住了西方的年轻人。
——《经济学人》 - When he exited the airport, he was captivated by a building caged in bamboo and draped in yellow fabric, masked by haze and fog.
走出机场的时候,他被一幢建筑深深吸引。这栋楼被竹架禁锢,外面裹着黄色网布,笼罩在雾霾之中。
——《纽约时报》
基本释义
[verb] attract and hold the interest and attention of; charm
[动词] 吸引并保持……的兴趣和注意力;迷住
深入解读
Captivate 从其拼写不难猜到该词与熟词 capture (俘虏、捕获)、 captive (俘虏、囚徒)同源。其中 captivate 由词根 captiv (俘虏)+ 后缀 ate- (使……)构成。
于16世纪20年代由晚期拉丁语 captivare (抓获、捕获)的过去分词 captivatus 进入英语后, captivate 即用来喻指“迷住、使……着迷”,常用于被动语态,主要指以某种特殊的魅力、技艺或者说显著品质(trait)而暂时捕获人的喜好(fancy)或感情,并不意味着长期的影响或控制,也可以说用来暗示一种不可抗拒的影响或吸引力时含义较弱,比如:
- 犟孩子们被她的故事迷住了。
The restive children were captivated by her stories. - 我为她的聪慧所倾倒。她性格中的唯一缺点好像就是脾气急。
I was captivated by her brilliant mind. The only flaw in her character seemed to be a short temper.
名著用例
And we all know that Wickham has every charm of person and address that can captivate a woman.
我们都知道韦翰无论在仪表方面,辞令方面,都有足够的魅力可以迷住一个女人。
出自19世纪英国小说家简·奥斯丁(Jane Austen)的代表作《傲慢与偏见》(Pride and Prejudice)。
同近义词