To make something seem less important or less serious than it really is.

To make something變得看起來 seem less important or less serious沒那麼重要或沒那麼嚴重 than it really is比它實際上要輕。

It is a transitive verb — you trivialize something — and it is always a complaint. The commonest objects are suffering and serious subjects: to trivialize an illness, a war, someone's grief, a crime, a whole profession.

It is a transitive verb它是及物動詞 — you trivialize something你把某件事淡化 — and it is always a complaint而且這永遠是一種抱怨、指控。The commonest objects最常見的受詞 are suffering and serious subjects是苦難和嚴肅的主題: to trivialize an illness把一種疾病說得無關緊要、a war一場戰爭、someone's grief某人的悲傷、a crime一樁罪行、a whole profession整個行業。

How does a person trivialize something? Usually not by lying, but by the treatment: making a joke of it, using it to sell a product, boiling it down to a slogan, or comparing it with something small ("calling a bad phone signal 'torture' trivializes torture"). That last pattern — X trivializes Y — is one of the most frequent shapes the word takes in modern argument.

How does a person一個人要怎麼 trivialize something把某件事淡化呢? Usually not by lying通常不是靠說謊, but by the treatment而是靠處理的方式: making a joke of it把它拿來開玩笑、using it to sell a product拿它來賣東西、boiling it down to a slogan把它濃縮成一句口號, or comparing it with something small或把它拿去跟小事相比 ("calling a bad phone signal 'torture'把訊號不好叫做「torture」 trivializes torture就是在淡化「torture」這個字的分量")。That last pattern最後這個模式 — X trivializes Y「X把Y說得無關緊要」 — is one of the most frequent shapes是現代論述裡 the word takes這個字最常見的用法之一 in modern argument。

Two useful cautions.

Two useful cautions兩個值得注意的地方。

First, the accusation is often about effect, not intention: people trivialize things without meaning to, and "I didn't mean it that way" is not usually accepted as a defence. Second, spelling: British writers normally use `trivialise`, Americans `trivializ e` — pick one and stay with it.

First第一, the accusation這個指控 is often about effect, not intention往往是針對後果，而不是意圖: people trivialize things人們把事情淡化 without meaning to常常不是故意的, and "I didn't mean it that way"而「我不是那個意思」 is not usually accepted as a defence通常不會被當作正當的辯解。Second第二, spelling拼法: British writers英國作者 normally use `trivialise`通常用trivialise, Americans而美國人用 `trivialize` — pick one挑一種 and stay with it固定用下去。

The register is formal-ish; in ordinary speech people say "don't make light of it" or "you're making it sound like nothing".

The register語域 is formal-ish算是稍微正式; in ordinary speech在日常說話裡 people say人們會說 "don't make light of it"「別把它看得那麼輕」 or "you're making it sound like nothing"或「你講得好像沒什麼一樣」。