いまいち
いまいち
adverb / na-adjective
not quite, somewhat lacking, not great
1.
not quite, somewhat lacking
Describes something that falls short of expectations or is missing that final touch to be satisfactory.
この料理、いまいちだな。
This dish is not quite right.
説明がいまいちわからない。
I don't quite understand the explanation.
今日の調子はいまいちだ。
I'm not feeling great today.
映画はいまいちだったけど、俳優はよかった。
The movie wasn't great, but the actors were good.
いまいち (also written as 今一 or 今一つ) is a mild negative evaluation, suggesting something is close but not quite satisfactory.
It's softer than outright criticism—more like "could be better" or "missing something."
Common patterns:
- いまいち + adjective/verb: not quite ~
- いまいちな + noun: a somewhat lacking ~
- いまいちだ: it's not great
The word comes from 今一つ (one more thing needed), implying something lacks that final element.