1.
feeling guilty, having a guilty conscience, uneasy
A feeling of guilt or unease arising from the awareness that one has done something wrong or is hiding something. Describes the internal discomfort of a bad conscience.
嘘をついて後ろめたい。
I feel guilty for telling a lie.
彼は後ろめたい気持ちを隠しきれなかった。
He could not fully hide his guilty feelings.
何も後ろめたいことがなければ、堂々としていればいい。
If you have nothing to feel guilty about, you can just hold your head high.
CONJUGATION:
Regular i-adjective: 後ろめたくない (negative), 後ろめたかった (past), 後ろめたくて (te-form).
USAGE:
Describes a subjective emotional state. The person feeling guilty is typically the topic/subject. Often used with 気持ち (後ろめたい気持ち = guilty feelings) or with こと (後ろめたいことがある = to have something to feel guilty about).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 後ろめたい気持ち: guilty feelings
- 後ろめたいことがある: to have something to feel guilty about
- 後ろめたさ: (noun form) guilt, sense of unease