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单词 alternative
释义
N208418401alternativeSpoken.2633Fiction.756Magazine.4607Newspaper.3561Academic.6844 J259314204alternativeSpoken.1316Fiction.265Magazine.2919Newspaper.2450Academic.7254

alternative

/ɔːlˈtɜːnətɪv/
attrib.
1
(of one or more things) available as another possibility
(一或多个事物)另外的, 可供选择的:

the various alternative methods for resolving disputes

解决争端的多种其他方式

the alternative definition of democracy as popular power.

民主作为大众权力的另一种定义。

1.1
(of two things) mutually exclusive
(两者)互不相容的, 非此即彼的:

the facts fit two alternative scenarios.

事实与两种互不相容的预期模式相符。

1.2
of or relating to behaviour that is considered unconventional and is typically seen as a challenge to traditional norms
行为标新立异的(尤指对传统准则构成挑战的不从习俗行为), 另类的:

an alternative lifestyle.

一种标新立异的生活方式。

one of two or more available possibilities
(二者或多者中)另种选择, 另种可能:

audio cassettes are an interesting alternative to reading

有声磁带是阅读之外的另一有趣选择

she had no alternative but to break the law.

她除了违反法律之外别无选择。

USAGE
1 The adjective alternate is sometimes used in place of alternative, especially in American English. Strictly speaking, the two words are quite distinct: alternative means 'available as another possibility or choice', as in some European countries follow an alternative approach, while alternate means 'every other or every second', as in they meet on alternate Sundays, or '(of two things) each following and succeeded by the other in a regular pattern', as in alternate layers of potato and sauce. The use of alternate to mean alternative, as in we will need to find alternate sources of fuel, is common in North America, and many dictionaries now record the two simply as variants of one another. The Oxford Reading Programme records a quarter of all uses in this sense using the spelling alternate. It is, however, still regarded as incorrect by many people in Britain. 2 Some traditionalists maintain, from an etymological standpoint, that you can only have a maximum of two alternatives (from the Latin alter 'other (of two)') and that uses where there are more than two alternatives are erroneous. Such uses are, however, normal in modern standard English.
词源
mid 16th cent. (in the sense 'alternating, alternate'): from French alternatif, -ive or medieval Latin alternativus, from Latin alternare 'interchange' (see ALTERNATE).
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更新时间:2025/1/9 4:54:54