(尤指因不满、紧张或自言自语而)低声咕哝,嘟囔;小声抱怨。(也可作名词:咕哝声)
/ˈmʌtər/
He muttered an apology and looked away.
他低声嘟囔着道了歉,把目光移开。
As the meeting dragged on, she muttered under her breath about how little progress they were making.
会议拖得很久,她在嘴里小声抱怨他们进展太少。
mutter 源自中古英语 muteren,与表示“含糊地说、咕哝”的拟声或模仿性词根有关,描摹人说话不清、声音低而断续的感觉。其核心语感常带有“压低声音、不愿让人听清”的意味。