ambiguous,equivocal,obscure,abstruse,vague,cryptic,enigmatic
These adjectives mean lacking clarity of meaning.
这些形容词都有意思不清楚的含义.
1.Ambiguous indicates the presence of two or more possible meanings:
Ambiguous 表示存在着两个或两个以上的可能的含义:
Frustrated by ambiguous instructions,the parents were never able to assemble the new toy.Something
这对父母沮丧于含糊不清的说明,因为根本不可能把新玩具组装好.
2.equivocal is unclear or misleading,sometimes as a result of a deliberate effort to avoid exposure of one's position:
equivocal 是指不清楚或容易引起误解,有时是为了故意避免暴露某人的位置:
“The polling had a complex and equivocal message for potential female candidates at all levels” (David S.Broder).
“民意测验对各阶层潜在的女性候选人的态度复杂而又模糊” (大卫·S.布罗德).
3.Obscure implies that meaning is hidden,either from lack of clarity of expression or from inherent difficulty of comprehension:
Obscure 表示意思隐含,或者是因为表达不清楚,或者因为话本身就难以理
Those who do not appreciate Kafka's work say his style is obscure and too complex.
那些不喜欢卡夫卡作品的人说他的风格晦涩并且过于复杂.
4.abstruse connote the erudite obscurity of the scholar:
abstruse 表示因学者的博学而产生的晦涩:
“some recondite problem in historiography” (Walter Laqueur).
“历史编纂中的一些深奥的问题” (沃尔特·拉克尔).
The professor's lectures were so abstruse that students tended to avoid them.What is
这个教授的课如此深奥以致于学生们常常逃课.
5.vague is unclear because it is expressed in indefinite form or because it reflects imprecision of thought:
vague 的意思是不清楚,因为它是用不确定的形式表达的或者因为它反映出思想的不精确:
“Vague ...forms of speech ...have so long passed for mysteries of science” (John Locke).
“针对科学奥秘的模糊…语言形式…消失已久” (约翰·洛克).
6.Cryptic suggests a puzzling terseness that is often intended to discourage understanding:
Cryptic 表示费解的简洁,通常使人难以理
The new insurance policy is written without cryptic or mysterious terms.Something
新的保险单上没有写上隐晦或神秘的词句.
7.enigmatic is mysterious,puzzling,and often challenging:
enigmatic 意思是神秘的,谜一样的,常为挑战性的:
I didn't grasp the meaning of that enigmatic comment until much later.
直到后来我才领会那个谜一般评论的含义.
标签:obscure,cover,区别