(尤指因尴尬、羞愧或被当众难堪而)极其窘迫的,羞愧到无地自容的;(也可指)使……蒙羞、使……难堪。
注:该词也有较少见的含义,指“使(身体组织)坏死”,但日常交流中最常用的是“尴尬/羞愧到极点”。
/ˈmɔːrtɪfaɪd/
I was mortified when I forgot her name.
当我忘了她的名字时,我尴尬得无地自容。
He felt mortified after the joke was repeated in front of the whole class, because it made him seem careless and unprepared.
那个笑话在全班面前被重复后,他感到极其难堪,因为这让他显得粗心又毫无准备。
来自拉丁语 mortificare,意为“使死亡/使变得像死一样”,由 mors(死亡)+ -ficare(使……成为)构成。英语中逐渐引申为“使自尊‘受打击’到仿佛被‘处死’般”,因此常用来表达强烈的羞愧、难堪与自尊受挫。