sordid

sordid

基本释义

[adjective] dirty or squalid
[形容词] 肮脏的或邋遢的

深入解读

Sordid 一词源自拉丁语 sordere （弄脏、使破旧），15世纪初进入英语后原指“化脓的、流脓的”，等到了17世纪初后才开始发展出今义表示“肮脏的、污秽的、邋遢的”，多指某个地方或环境非常肮脏到令人不快或沮丧的地步，比如：

• 那个求知欲极强的读者住在肮脏不堪的环境中。
  That voracious reader lives in sordid conditions.

将这个概念用在人身上时， sordid 则可以表示“卑鄙的、丑恶的、无耻的”，常用来形容人的某种不光彩的行为或动机，并在道德上引起厌恶和蔑视，比如：

• 那个著名科学家有一段不清白的过去。这是他人生中非常不光彩的一段经历。
  That eminent scientist had a somewhat murky past. It was a rather sordid episode of his life.
• 那个巧言令色的说谎高手告诉我他有了婚外恋，但没有告诉我其中龌龊的细节。
  The plausible liar told me he’d had an affair but he spared me the sordid details.

从这个概念进一步发展， sordid 还用来形容人“贪婪的、自私的、利欲熏心的”，常意味着一种卑鄙的贪婪，比如：

• 那个雄心勃勃的销售培训生正探身窗外，瞻望锦绣前程。但他的抱负有点儿重利，太热衷于发财致富。
  The sales trainee with grandiose ambitions was leaning out of the window and looking ahead to a grandiose future. But his ambitions were a little sordid, too intent upon growing rich.

此外， sordid 还可以用来形容颜色“色彩暗淡的、灰褐色的”以及形容某些鸟类和鱼类“颜色混浊灰暗的”。

好书例句

The washrooms were disagreeable, crude, if not foul places, and the whole atmosphere was sordid.
洗手间即使不算肮脏恶臭，也是粗陋不堪，空气污秽恶劣。

出自美国现实主义作家西奥多·德莱赛（Theodore Dreiser）创作的长篇小说《嘉莉妹妹》（Sister Carrie）。《嘉莉妹妹》是《珍妮姑娘》（Jennie Gerhardt）的姐妹篇，1998年被选为20世纪百大英文小说。

外刊例句

• Their pursuit of it was often sordid, and the sums they were willing to risk irrational.
  他们不择手段地追逐它，不惜铤而走险，一掷千金。
  ——《经济学人》
• Apparently she’s unacquainted with Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric and Jared, and she somehow missed that sordid chapter of Trump’s presidency in which he tried to extort the president of Ukraine and was rightly impeached for it.
  显然她不熟悉小唐纳德、伊万卡和贾里德，她也不知何故漏掉了特朗普总统任内那段肮脏的篇章，他在其间试图勒索乌克兰总统，并因此遭到正当的弹劾。
  ——《纽约时报》

详细用法

形容词 “sordid” 的短语用法：

1. Sordid affair – 肮脏的事件/丑闻
   • The politician was involved in a sordid affair that brought down his career.（这位政治家卷入了一起肮脏的事件，导致他的事业崩溃。）
2. Sordid past – 肮脏的过去
   • The celebrity tried to hide her sordid past from the public.（这位名人试图向公众隐藏她肮脏的过去。）
3. Sordid details – 不堪细节
   • The newspaper article revealed the sordid details of the scandal.（报纸文章揭示了这场丑闻的不堪细节。）
4. Sordid behavior – 卑鄙行为
   • The teacher was dismissed for engaging in sordid behavior with a student.（这名教师因与一名学生进行卑鄙行为而被解雇。）
5. Sordid crime – 卑鄙的犯罪
   • The detective was determined to bring the sordid criminals to justice.（这位侦探决心将那些卑鄙的罪犯绳之以法。）
6. Sordid living conditions – 肮脏的生活条件
   • The documentary shed light on the sordid living conditions in the slums.（这部纪录片揭示了贫民窟中肮脏的生活条件。）
7. Sordid motive – 卑鄙动机
   • The prosecutor presented evidence of the defendant’s sordid motive for the crime.（检察官提出了被告犯罪的卑鄙动机的证据。）
8. Sordid affair of the heart – 爱情中的不道德事件
   • The novel explores the sordid affairs of the heart among the characters.（这本小说探讨了人物之间的不道德爱情事件。）
9. Sordid business dealings – 肮脏的商业交易
   • The businessman was known for his sordid business dealings and unethical practices.（这位商人以其肮脏的商业交易和不道德的做法而闻名。）
10. Sordid secrets – 骇人听闻的秘密
    • The memoir revealed the author’s sordid secrets from his time as a spy.（这本回忆录揭示了作者作为间谍时的骇人听闻的秘密。）
11. Sordid addiction – 肮脏的瘾癖
    • The rehab center helped patients overcome their sordid addictions.（康复中心帮助患者克服他们肮脏的瘾癖。）
12. Sordid truth – 悲惨的事实
    • The documentary exposed the sordid truth behind the industry’s practices.（这部纪录片揭示了该行业做法背后的悲惨事实。）
13. Sordid living arrangements – 肮脏的居住环境
    • The immigrants were forced to live in sordid living arrangements until they found better housing.（这些移民被迫居住在肮脏的居住环境中，直到他们找到更好的住房。）
14. Sordid financial transactions – 不正当的财务交易
    • The investigation uncovered a network of sordid financial transactions conducted by the corrupt businessman.（调查揭示了一个由腐败商人进行的肮脏的财务交易网络。）
15. Sordid history – 骇人听闻的历史
    • The town had a sordid history of corruption and scandal.（这个城镇有着骇人听闻的腐败和丑闻历史。）

常见短语

形容词 “sordid” 的用法和中文解释：

1. Sordid affair – 肮脏的事务/丑闻
   • The newspaper exposed a sordid affair involving a high-ranking government official.（报纸揭露了涉及一名高级政府官员的肮脏事务。）
2. Sordid past – 骇人听闻的过去
   • The politician’s sordid past was brought to light during the election campaign.（这位政治家的骇人听闻的过去在选举活动期间曝光。）
3. Sordid details – 不堪细节
   • The detective provided the police with the sordid details of the crime scene.（侦探向警方提供了犯罪现场的不堪细节。）
4. Sordid behavior – 卑劣的行为
   • The employee was fired due to his sordid behavior towards his colleagues.（由于他对同事的卑劣行为，该员工被解雇了。）
5. Sordid crime – 卑鄙的犯罪
   • The documentary shed light on the sordid crimes committed by the drug cartel.（这部纪录片揭示了毒品集团所犯下的卑鄙犯罪。）
6. Sordid living conditions – 肮脏的生活条件
   • The refugees were living in sordid conditions in the overcrowded camp.（难民们在拥挤的营地里生活在肮脏的条件下。）
7. Sordid motive – 卑鄙的动机
   • The investigator suspected that the suspect had a sordid motive for committing the crime.（调查人员怀疑嫌疑犯犯罪时有着卑鄙的动机。）
8. Sordid love affair – 肮脏的爱情关系
   • The scandal revealed the sordid love affair between the actress and the married producer.（这场丑闻揭示了女演员与已婚制片人之间肮脏的爱情关系。）
9. Sordid business dealings – 不正当的商业交易
   • The businessman was known for his sordid business dealings and unethical practices.（这位商人以他的不正当商业交易和不道德做法而闻名。）
10. Sordid secrets – 不可告人的秘密
    • The tabloid magazine published an article revealing the sordid secrets of the celebrity’s personal life.（小报杂志刊登了一篇文章揭示了这位名人个人生活中的不可告人的秘密。）

同近义词

tawdry: sordid or unpleasant
abject: (of a person or their behavior) completely without pride or dignity; self-abasing
sleazy: (of a person or situation) sordid, corrupt, or immoral