at odds
英 /æt ɒdz/美 /æt ɑdz/
prep. phrase
与…不和;与…不一致;与…相矛盾
词义说明
本义指在对抗或竞争的状态中,一方与另一方地位不对等,常与‘odds’(机会、优劣)相关。引申义有两层:一是人际关系上的‘不和、争吵’,强调双方意见或利益冲突;二是逻辑或事实上的‘不一致、矛盾’,强调事物之间的不协调。例如,‘be at odds with someone’指与某人意见相左,而‘be at odds with something’(如事实、理论)则指与某事相抵触。
词源解析
‘odds’源自古英语‘odda’,最初指‘不平衡’或‘差额’,后在中古英语中演变为‘odd’(奇数的、有零头的),进而引申为‘机会不均等’。‘at odds’这个短语字面即‘在机会不均的状态下’,后隐喻为‘不一致’或‘冲突’。记忆时可联想‘odd’意为‘奇怪的、不匹配的’,因此‘at odds’即‘处于不匹配、不对劲的状态’。
什么场合用
常用于新闻报道和正式写作,描述国家、政党、组织之间的分歧,例如‘The two countries are at odds over trade policy.’;也出现在商务邮件中,表示意见不一致,如‘We are at odds with the client on the budget.’;日常口语中则更随意,如‘My parents are at odds with my career choice.’;法律文本中可能用于描述证据与证词矛盾,如‘The witness's statement is at odds with the evidence.’;文学作品中用于刻画人物内心冲突,如‘His actions were at odds with his conscience.’。各场景下语气均偏中性,但正式场合更强调对立性,口语中则常带情绪色彩。
用法须知
‘at odds’为介词短语,作表语或后置定语,常与系动词‘be’搭配,构成‘be at odds with...’句型。‘with’后接人或事物。易错点:一是误用‘at odds to’(正确为‘with’);二是误将其视为动词,实际是形容词性短语。例如‘He is at odds with his colleagues.’(表语);‘The findings, at odds with previous studies, were surprising.’(定语)。注意‘odds’前不加冠词,且固定为复数形式。
近义词对比
与‘in conflict’相比,‘at odds’更强调意见或兴趣的分歧,而不一定上升到激烈对抗;‘in disagreement’则较为正式,常用于学术或正式场合;‘at variance’与之相似但更书面化,多用于正式文体;‘at loggerheads’则强调激烈争执,语气更强。选择时,若为一般性分歧用‘at odds’;若为强烈冲突用‘at loggerheads’;若为客观事实不一致,则‘at variance’或‘in conflict’更合适。
需要留意
‘at odds’语域中性偏正式,适用于书面语和口语,但正式文体中更常见。无褒贬色彩,仅描述客观对立状态。常见误用:一是与‘at odd’混淆(‘odd’单数形式错误);二是将其与‘odds and ends’(零碎)混用;三是误以为‘at odds’可单独使用,实际上必须接‘with’对象,除非上下文明确。注意区分‘at odds with’(与…不一致)和‘odds are’(很可能)。
高频搭配
- be at odds with someone与某人不和
- be at odds with something与某事不一致
- appear to be at odds似乎不一致
- find oneself at odds发现自己处于对立
- at odds over a question在某个问题上有分歧
- directly at odds直接矛盾
- seemingly at odds看似矛盾
- at odds with the facts与事实不符
用法示例
- The two political parties are at odds over the new tax reform.两个政党在新税收改革上意见相左。
- His recent actions are at odds with his stated principles.他近期的行为与他声称的原则相矛盾。
- The results of the experiment are at odds with the theoretical predictions.实验结果与理论预测不一致。
- She found herself at odds with her best friend over a trivial matter.她发现自己因为一件小事与最好的朋友闹翻了。
- The witness's testimony was at odds with the security camera footage.证人的证词与监控录像相矛盾。
- The company is at odds with the union on the issue of overtime pay.公司在加班费问题上与工会不和。