anodyne
anodyne — 形容詞
1. describing words, music, or other content that has been kept so mild and uncontr
平淡無奇的
刻意溫和、不冒犯、毫無稜角的
describing words, music, or other content that has been kept so mild and uncontroversial that it cannot upset, provoke, or interest anyone — for example, a politician's reply that carefully avoids saying anything real, or background music chosen because nobody could possibly object to it.
The minister gave an anodyne statement that avoided every difficult question from the reporters.
部長發表了一份平淡無奇的聲明，巧妙避開了記者所有尖銳的問題。
anodyne + statement: empty political reply
Soft anodyne music played in the dentist's waiting room while Mei flipped through old magazines.
牙醫候診室裡播著平淡無奇的輕柔音樂，小美一邊翻著舊雜誌打發時間。
collocation: anodyne music in public spaces
Critics called the new sitcom anodyne and predictable, with jokes that nobody could find offensive.
影評人形容這部新情境喜劇平淡無奇又老套，笑點不會冒犯到任何人。
Daniel's wedding speech was so anodyne that nobody laughed and nobody cried.
丹尼爾的婚禮致詞太過平淡無奇，現場沒人笑也沒人哭。
The committee replaced her sharp report with an anodyne summary full of vague praise.
委員會把她那份犀利的報告，換成了一份滿是空泛讚美、平淡無奇的摘要。
- bland
more everyday; can describe food, but 'anodyne' is reserved for speech, writing, or art
- innocuous
focuses on 'cannot do harm'; 'anodyne' adds the idea of being deliberately stripped of edge
- inoffensive
neutral or mildly approving; 'anodyne' is almost always disapproving
- unobjectionable
formal, near-synonym; 'anodyne' suggests the blandness was a design choice
- provocative
designed to stir reaction or debate
- controversial
openly likely to upset some people
- biting
sharp and critical, the opposite tone
文法句型
anodyne + noun (statement, comments, music, response)
用法筆記
Almost always carries a negative tone — the speaker thinks the thing should have had more bite. Common nouns it modifies: statement, comments, response, music, lyrics, prose, summary.
常見錯誤
anodyne — 名詞
1. an old-fashioned word for a medicine taken to ease physical pain, such as a toni
止痛劑
舊時用來緩解疼痛的藥物
an old-fashioned word for a medicine taken to ease physical pain, such as a tonic of opium and herbs given to soldiers in the nineteenth century before modern painkillers existed.
The Victorian doctor mixed an anodyne of opium and brandy for his patient's toothache.
那位維多利亞時代的醫生，為病人的牙痛調配了一種鴉片加白蘭地的止痛劑。
noun: an anodyne of [ingredients]
Old medical books list dozens of anodynes that nurses once gave to wounded soldiers.
舊醫學書裡列出了幾十種護士當年給傷兵服用的止痛劑。
plural: anodynes in historical medical contexts
Before aspirin, a small bottle of anodyne sat in nearly every farmhouse cupboard in rural England.
在阿斯匹靈問世之前，英格蘭鄉下幾乎家家戶戶的櫥櫃裡，都擺著一小瓶止痛劑。
The museum displayed a glass jar labelled 'anodyne' beside other Victorian remedies.
博物館在其他維多利亞時代藥品旁，展示了一只標著「止痛劑」字樣的玻璃罐。
- painkiller
the standard modern everyday word
- analgesic
technical medical term; current usage
- sedative
calms rather than removes pain; not a perfect match
文法句型
an anodyne for + noun
用法筆記
Distinguish from the adjective sense: this noun is concrete and medical, while the adjective is abstract and describes bland speech or art. The noun now appears mainly in historical or literary writing — modern speakers say 'painkiller' or 'analgesic'.