1.
endlessly; on and on; interminably
Describes something continuing for an extremely long time without end. Often implies tedium or exhaustion.
会議が延々と続いた。
The meeting went on endlessly.
彼は延々と愚痴を言い続けた。
He kept complaining on and on.
延々と続く道を歩いた。
I walked along the seemingly endless road.
延々 emphasizes excessive length or duration, often with a negative connotation of tedium or exhaustion. It can describe both time (a meeting dragging on) and physical extent (a road stretching on forever).
GRAMMAR:
As a taru-adjective, it takes と when used adverbially (延々と) and たる when modifying a noun (延々たる). The と form is far more common in modern usage.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 延々と続く: to continue endlessly
- 延々と話す: to talk on and on
- 延々と歩く: to walk on and on
- 延々○時間: for a full ○ hours (emphasizing length)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 永遠に: eternally (neutral or positive, often about love or ideals)
- だらだら: dragging on lazily (more casual, implies lack of focus)
- いつまでも: forever, indefinitely (neutral)