(尤指紧张、尴尬或不以为然时的)窃笑、咯咯笑;轻声发笑。
/ˈtɪtər/
The students began to titter when the teacher mispronounced the word.
老师把那个词读错后,学生们开始窃笑。
A ripple of tittering ran through the audience as the speaker’s joke landed a little too awkwardly.
当演讲者的笑话显得有点尴尬时,观众席中传来一阵细碎的窃笑声。
“titter”属于拟声词,模仿那种短促、压低的笑声(类似“嘀嘀/咯咯”的轻笑)。该词在英语中很早就用来表示带有克制、隐秘或不太礼貌意味的笑,与更公开、更放松的 laugh 相比,语气往往更“偷偷”或略带讥讽。