凌(しの)ぐ

しのぐ

verb (godan, transitive)

to endure; to surpass; to get through

他動詞 transitiveliterarywrittenaction

Conjugation

	Affirmative	Negative
Present	凌(しの)ぐ	凌(しの)がない
Present polite	凌(しの)ぎます	凌(しの)ぎません
Past	凌(しの)いだ	凌(しの)がなかった
Past polite	凌(しの)ぎました	凌(しの)ぎませんでした
て form	凌(しの)いで	凌(しの)がなくて
ている present	凌(しの)いでいる	凌(しの)いでいない
ている polite	凌(しの)いでいます	凌(しの)いでいません
ている past	凌(しの)いでいた	凌(しの)いでいなかった
ている past polite	凌(しの)いでいました	凌(しの)いでいませんでした
Conditional ば	凌(しの)げば	凌(しの)がなければ
Conditional たら	凌(しの)いだら	凌(しの)がなかったら
Volitional	凌(しの)ごう	—
Volitional polite	凌(しの)ぎましょう	—
Potential	凌(しの)げる	凌(しの)げない
Passive	凌(しの)がれる	凌(しの)がれない
Causative	凌(しの)がせる	凌(しの)がせない
Imperative	凌(しの)げ	凌(しの)ぐな

1. to endure; to weather; to get through

To bear hardship or difficult conditions and survive through them.

寒(さむ)さを凌(しの)ぐためにコートを着(き)た。

I wore a coat to ward off the cold.

貯金(ちょきん)で当面(とうめん)の生活(せいかつ)を凌(しの)いだ。

I got by with my savings for the time being.

暑(あつ)さを凌(しの)ぐために木陰(こかげ)で休(やす)んだ。

I rested in the shade of a tree to escape the heat.

急場(きゅうば)を凌(しの)ぐために友人(ゆうじん)にお金(かね)を借(か)りた。

I borrowed money from a friend to get through the emergency.

台風(たいふう)が来(く)るまで、なんとかこの小屋(こや)で凌(しの)ごう。

Let's somehow get by in this hut until the typhoon arrives.

2. to surpass; to exceed; to outdo

To go beyond or exceed something in ability, quality, or quantity.

彼(かれ)の実力(じつりょく)は師匠(ししょう)を凌(しの)ぐほどだ。

His skill is enough to surpass even his master.

売(う)り上(あ)げが去年(きょねん)を凌(しの)いだ。

Sales surpassed last year's.

今年(ことし)の暑(あつ)さは例年(れいねん)を凌(しの)ぐものだった。

This year's heat exceeded that of a typical year.

弟子(でし)が師(し)を凌(しの)ぐのは喜(よろこ)ばしいことだ。

It's a joyful thing when a student surpasses their teacher.

新作(しんさく)は前作(ぜんさく)を凌(しの)ぐ出来(でき)だと評判(ひょうばん)だ。

The new work is said to be of a quality that surpasses its predecessor.

Transitivity

Transitive verb (他動詞(たどうし)). Takes を in both senses.

Usage

Sense 1 (endure) is about getting through something unpleasant with whatever is at hand — it implies a temporary, makeshift fix rather than a solution:

寒(さむ)さを凌(しの)ぐ - to ward off the cold
暑(あつ)さを凌(しの)ぐ - to cope with the heat
飢(う)えを凌(しの)ぐ - to stave off hunger

The object is the hardship itself, not the means of escaping it.

Sense 2 (surpass) is often used with ほど:

〜を凌(しの)ぐほど - so much as to surpass ~

It carries a note of exceeding something that was expected to be superior — a pupil outdoing a master, a sequel beating the original.

Common expressions

急場(きゅうば)を凌(しの)ぐ - to get through an emergency
雨風(あめかぜ)を凌(しの)ぐ - to keep out the wind and rain (of basic shelter)
先輩(せんぱい)を凌(しの)ぐ - to surpass one's senior

Similar words

耐(た)える - to withstand; describes bearing up under strain, with no sense of a stopgap
我慢(がまん)する - to put up with; about self-restraint rather than getting through a period
超(こ)える, 上回(うわまわ)る - plain "to exceed" for sense 2; neither carries 凌(しの)ぐ's overtone of overtaking a superior

Writing

凌(しの) is a 人名用漢字(じんめいようかんじ) rather than a 常用漢字(じょうようかんじ), so newspapers and public writing normally spell the verb しのぐ in kana. Both spellings are read the same.

Register

Neutral to slightly literary. Far more common in writing than in conversation.

Related Words

Related: 耐(た)える (to endure, to withstand)

Related: 超(こ)える (to exceed)

Related: 上回(うわまわ)る (to surpass, to be above)

Compare: 我慢(がまん)する (to put up with)

Related: 凌駕(りょうが) (surpassing)

Compare: 切(き)り抜(ぬ)ける (to get through)

core

Added 2026.1.19 16:20 · Revised 2026.9.4 21:29

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