| 释义 |
confrontation|kɒnfrʌnˈteɪʃən|
[n. of action f. confront, corresp. to med.L. confrontātio (12th c. in Du Cange), F. confrontation (14th c. in Godef.).]
The action of confronting.
1. The bringing of persons face to face; esp. for examination and eliciting of the truth.
1632Star-Chamb. Cases (Camden) 296 Dr. Duck..moved againe for the confrontation of the two women. 1685F. Spence tr. Varillas' Ho. Medici 25 Perruzzi out-faced the examination, but not his confrontation with Malavolti. 1820Examiner No. 627. 255/2 They were recognized by the young woman upon confrontation. 1863J. F. Stephen in Reader 1 Aug. 110 Many interrogations and private confrontations with witnesses.
2. The action of bringing face to face, or together, for comparison.
1665Boyle Occas. Refl. (1675) 373 Some so like, that an actual Confrontation of the Artist's works, and Nature's, would scarce distinguish them. 1779Swinburne Spain xliv. (T.), The argument would require a great number of comparisons, confrontations, and combinations, to find out the connection between the two manners. 1858Lewes Sea-side Stud. 221, I was not a little anxious to bring my operatic erudition into direct confrontation with fact.
3. The coming of countries, parties, etc., face to face: used of a state of political tension with or without actual conflict.
1963Ann. Reg. 1962 1 The dramatic confrontation of American and Russian power in the tense days after 22 October. 1963Daily Tel. 3 Oct. 14/2 There is reason and good sense in the Malaysian Prime Minister's attitude that there can be no talks with Indonesia while ‘confrontation’ is going on. For those who seek a clearer definition of President Soekarno's vocabulary, this word means intimidation, guerrilla warfare, arson, loot and confiscation. 1964Ann. Reg. 1963 220 Evidently he had drawn a lesson from the Cuban confrontation. 1965New Statesman 8 Jan. 29/2 Indonesia's ‘confrontation campaign’ against Malaysia—an ingenious new expression for an unprovoked act of aggression—is one of the most futile minor wars of history. 1970Times 9 Feb. 5/5 As a counter theme to this, O'Brien places the international black and white confrontation.
Hence confronˈtational a., characterized by or likely to cause confrontation (sense 3); aggressive, marked by an adversarial approach.
1975Financial Times 16 Dec. 18/3 His speech to the Conference on International Economic Cooperation (CIEC)..will be widely regarded as ‘confrontational’ both in much of Western Europe and in the third world. 1978Times 10 Feb. 4/4 The alternative is very costly and possibly confrontational. 1982Observer 21 Mar. 10/3 Why is the United States pursuing these confrontational tactics? 1985Listener 10 Jan. 3/2 The bad confrontational habits of the superpowers have succeeded in militarising and politicising the pathetic essential needs of most Third World countries for food and survival. |