flatly
flatly — 副詞
1. firmly and completely, so a refusal, denial, or disagreement sounds final.
斷然；堅決
表示拒絕或否認時毫不退讓
firmly and completely, so a refusal, denial, or disagreement sounds final.
Sari flatly refused to lend her brother the car again.
Sari 斷然拒絕再把車借給弟弟。
flatly + refuse for a final no
The company flatly denied any link to the unsafe toys.
那家公司堅決否認與那些不安全的玩具有任何關聯。
flatly + deny
During the interview, Gabriel flatly rejected the rumor about secret payments.
面試時，Gabriel 斷然駁斥了那則關於祕密付款的傳聞。
Our landlord flatly said no when we asked for another month.
我們要求再多住一個月時，房東斷然說不。
say no + flatly
Wei flatly disagreed with the report and demanded new numbers.
Wei 堅決不同意那份報告，還要求提供新數字。
- flatly refuse
- flatly deny
- flatly reject
- flatly disagree
- categorically
more formal and especially common in public denials
- firmly
broader and slightly less sharp in tone
- bluntly
adds a stronger sense of directness and possible rudeness
- hesitantly
shows doubt instead of certainty
- reluctantly
shows unwillingness rather than a decisive refusal
文法句型
flatly + refuse / deny / reject
flatly + disagree
say flatly + clause
用法筆記
Most often appears with verbs such as 'refuse', 'deny', 'reject', and 'disagree', or before a short answer like 'no'. Distinguish from sense 2: here 'flatly' marks how definite the speaker's position is, not how cold the tone sounds.
常見錯誤
2. in a cold, uninterested way that shows little feeling.
冷淡地
語氣冷冷的，幾乎沒有情緒
in a cold, uninterested way that shows little feeling.
When Omar said thanks, the clerk flatly said, 'Next customer, please.'
Omar 道謝時，那名店員冷淡地說：「下一位，請。」
say + flatly for a cold tone
At breakfast, Hui flatly answered every question with one short word.
早餐時，Hui 冷淡地回答每個問題，都只說一個短短的字。
answer + flatly
The guard flatly told us the museum was closed for repairs.
警衛冷淡地告訴我們，博物館因整修而關閉。
Baraka replied flatly that he was not interested in the job.
Baraka 冷冷地回說，他對那份工作沒有興趣。
reply + flatly + that-clause
Across the table, the judge spoke so flatly that nobody asked more questions.
隔著桌子，法官說話的語氣十分冷淡，沒有人再追問。
- say flatly
- reply flatly
- answer flatly
- tell someone flatly
- coldly
the closest general word for a lack of warmth
- curtly
stresses short, sharp wording more than lack of feeling
- emotionlessly
stronger and more formal, with complete absence of feeling
- warmly
shows friendliness and feeling
- enthusiastically
shows strong interest instead of dullness
文法句型
say / reply / answer + flatly
flatly + ask / tell
用法筆記
Usually modifies verbs of speaking such as 'say', 'reply', 'answer', and 'tell'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense focuses on a voice or manner with little emotion, even when the words are not a refusal.