シビア
しびあ
adjective (na)
severe, harsh
1.
severe, strict, harsh
Describes conditions, standards, judgments, or situations that are demanding, unforgiving, or difficult.
シビアな条件だ。
Those are harsh conditions.
先生の評価はかなりシビアだった。
The teacher's evaluation was quite severe.
今の経済状況はシビアで、就職が難しくなっている。
The current economic situation is tough, making it hard to find a job.
FORMS:
- Attributive: シビアな + noun
- Predicate: シビアだ / シビアです
- Adverbial: シビアに
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- シビアな条件: harsh conditions
- シビアな評価: severe evaluation
- シビアな現実: harsh reality
- シビアな目で見る: to view with a critical eye
- シビアな状況: tough situation
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 厳しい: strict, severe (native Japanese, more common in everyday speech)
- 手厳しい: harsh, scathing (specifically about criticism)
- シビア tends to sound slightly more analytical or detached than 厳しい, and is often preferred in business and media contexts.