(おびただ)しい

おびただしい
i-adjective
numerous; vast; immense
formal
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present(おびただ)しい(おびただ)しくない
Past(おびただ)しかった(おびただ)しくなかった
て form(おびただ)しくて(おびただ)しくなくて
Adverbial(おびただ)しく
Conditional ば(おびただ)しければ(おびただ)しくなければ
Conditional たら(おびただ)しかったら(おびただ)しくなかったら
1. numerous; vast; immense
describes an extremely large number or amount of something; so many as to be overwhelming
(おびただ)しい(かず)(ほし)()えた
A vast number of stars were visible.
There was an immense amount of blood at the accident scene.
The library has a vast collection of books.

(おびただ)しい describes an overwhelmingly large quantity.

Common patterns

Usage

  • Literary and formal in tone
  • Emphasizes quantity that is beyond normal expectations
  • Often used in dramatic or emphatic contexts
  • Can describe both positive (stars, books) and negative (blood, casualties) quantities

Related words

Writing

The kanji (おびただ)しい is relatively uncommon; the word is often written in hiragana.

Register: Formal/literary. Common in written Japanese and news.