よろめく
よろめく
verb (godan, intransitive)
to stagger; to totter
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | よろめく | よろめかない |
| Present polite | よろめきます | よろめきません |
| Past | よろめいた | よろめかなかった |
| Past polite | よろめきました | よろめきませんでした |
| て form | よろめいて | よろめかなくて |
| ている present | よろめいている | よろめいていない |
| ている polite | よろめいています | よろめいていません |
| ている past | よろめいていた | よろめいていなかった |
| ている past polite | よろめいていました | よろめいていませんでした |
| Conditional ば | よろめけば | よろめかなければ |
| Conditional たら | よろめいたら | よろめかなかったら |
| Volitional | よろめこう | — |
| Volitional polite | よろめきましょう | — |
| Potential | よろめける | よろめけない |
| Passive | よろめかれる | よろめかれない |
| Causative | よろめかせる | よろめかせない |
| Imperative | よろめけ | よろめくな |
1.
to stagger; to totter; to stumble unsteadily
To walk or move unsteadily with swaying motions, as if about to fall. Often caused by dizziness, weakness, intoxication, or being pushed.
酔っ払いがよろめきながら歩いていた。
The drunk person was staggering as they walked.
強風でよろめいて倒れそうになった。
I staggered in the strong wind and almost fell over.
貧血でよろめいて、壁に手をついた。
I staggered from anemia and put my hand on the wall for support.
2.
to waver emotionally; to be attracted
Figuratively, to feel emotionally swayed or attracted to someone, often implying an illicit or inappropriate romantic attraction.
彼女の優しさによろめいた。
I was swayed by her kindness.
人妻によろめく男の話だ。
It's a story about a man who falls for a married woman.
甘い言葉によろめきそうになったが、思いとどまった。
I almost gave in to the sweet words, but I held back.
- よろめく → よろめかない (negative)
- よろめく → よろめいて (te-form)
- よろめく → よろめいた (past)
ORTHOGRAPHY:
Almost always written in hiragana. The kanji 蹌踉く exists but is rarely used.
USAGE:
The physical meaning (sense 1) is by far the most common. The figurative meaning (sense 2) is literary and somewhat dated, associated with the 1950s novel and film genre called 「よろめきドラマ」 about extramarital affairs.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- ふらつく - to be unsteady, to wobble (less dramatic than よろめく)
- つまずく - to trip, to stumble (foot catches on something)
- よろよろする - to move unsteadily (repetitive form, weaker movement)