1.
smoky; full of smoke
Describes a place or atmosphere that has an unpleasant amount of smoke.
部屋が煙たい。
The room is smoky.
焚き火の煙で目が煙たくなった。
The smoke from the bonfire made my eyes sting.
換気が悪い焼き鳥屋で、店内が煙たくてたまらなかった。
The yakitori restaurant had bad ventilation, and the smoke inside was unbearable.
2.
hard to be around; feeling awkward around someone
Describes the uncomfortable feeling of being around a strict, intimidating, or overly righteous person whom one finds difficult to relax around.
あの先輩は煙たい存在だ。
That senior is someone who's hard to be around.
口うるさい上司を煙たがっている。
They find the nagging boss hard to deal with.
The verb form 煙たがる means 'to find someone hard to be around.'
正論ばかり言う人は、周りから煙たがられることがある。
People who always state the obvious right thing sometimes end up being avoided by those around them.
CONJUGATION: 煙たい is an i-adjective. 煙たくない (negative), 煙たかった (past).
DERIVED FORMS:
- 煙たがる: to find someone hard to be around, to avoid someone
- 煙たがられる: to be avoided, to be found intimidating
USAGE: The figurative sense (sense 2) is very common. It describes the social discomfort of being around someone who is strict, self-righteous, or intimidating — not because they are mean, but because their presence makes others feel constrained.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 煙たい存在: an intimidating presence
- 煙たがられる: to be avoided/shunned