頼(たの)もしい

たのもしい

i-adjective

reliable; reassuring; promising

personality evaluation

Conjugation

	Affirmative	Negative
Present	頼(たの)もしい	頼(たの)もしくない
Past	頼(たの)もしかった	頼(たの)もしくなかった
て form	頼(たの)もしくて	頼(たの)もしくなくて
Adverbial	頼(たの)もしく	—
Conditional ば	頼(たの)もしければ	頼(たの)もしくなければ
Conditional たら	頼(たの)もしかったら	頼(たの)もしくなかったら

1. reliable; dependable; reassuring

giving a sense of security because of someone's strength, ability, or character

彼(かれ)は頼(たの)もしいリーダーだ。

He is a reliable leader.

あなたがいると頼(たの)もしい。

It's reassuring to have you here.

困(こま)った時(とき)に頼(たの)もしい味方(みかた)がいる。

I have a reliable ally when I'm in trouble.

2. promising; hopeful

showing promise for the future; encouraging

息子(むすこ)の成長(せいちょう)ぶりが頼(たの)もしい。

My son's growth is promising.

新人(しんじん)だが、頼(たの)もしい働(はたら)きぶりだ。

He's new, but his work performance is promising.

若(わか)い選手(せんしゅ)たちの活躍(かつやく)は頼(たの)もしい限(かぎ)りだ。

The young athletes' performance is truly promising.

頼(たの)もしい describes someone or something that gives a sense of security or hope.

Etymology

From 頼(たの)む (to rely on) + しい (adjective suffix)
Expresses the quality of being someone you can rely on

Forms

Attributive: 頼(たの)もしい + noun
Predicate: 頼(たの)もしい
Adverbial: 頼(たの)もしく
Noun form: 頼(たの)もしさ (reliability)

Sense 1 vs sense 2

Sense 1: Describing current reliability (reassuring presence)
Sense 2: Describing future potential (promising growth)

Common collocations

頼(たの)もしい存在(そんざい) (reassuring presence)
頼(たの)もしい味方(みかた) (reliable ally)
頼(たの)もしい限(かぎ)り (extremely promising/reassuring)
頼(たの)もしく思(おも)う (to find reassuring)

Similar words

頼(たよ)りになる (reliable - more conversational)
信頼(しんらい)できる (trustworthy - more formal)
心強(こころづよ)い (reassuring - emotional focus)

Register: Neutral to slightly formal. Common in everyday conversation.

Related Words

Synonym: 心強(こころづよ)い (emotionally reassuring)

Synonym: 頼(たよ)りになる (conversational)

Compare: しっかりする (to be firm)

Compare: 甲斐性(かいしょう) (competence)

general

Added 2026.1.22 14:13 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

07500/07899_tanomoshii