天敵(てんてき)

てんてき
noun
natural enemy; nemesis
naturesociety
1. natural enemy; natural predator
An animal that naturally preys on or threatens another species in the wild.
猫(ねこ)は鼠(ねずみ)の天敵(てんてき)だ。
Cats are the natural enemy of mice.
この害虫(がいちゅう)には天敵(てんてき)がいないため、被害(ひがい)が広(ひろ)がっている。
Because this pest has no natural enemies, the damage is spreading.
農薬(のうやく)の代(か)わりに天敵(てんてき)を利用(りよう)した害虫(がいちゅう)駆除(くじょ)が注目(ちゅうもく)されている。
Pest control using natural enemies instead of pesticides is attracting attention.
2. nemesis; one's worst enemy (figurative)
A person or thing that one finds impossible to deal with or defeat. Used casually to describe someone or something that is one's biggest weakness.
あの選手(せんしゅ)は彼(かれ)にとって天敵(てんてき)だ。
That player is his nemesis.
数学(すうがく)は私(わたし)の天敵(てんてき)だ。
Math is my worst enemy.
梅雨(つゆ)は洗濯物(せんたくもの)の天敵(てんてき)で、なかなか乾(かわ)かない。
The rainy season is the nemesis of laundry — it just won't dry.

天敵(てんてき) literally means "enemy given by nature" and is used both in biology and in everyday figurative speech.

Etymology

天(てん) (heaven, natural) + 敵(てき) (enemy).

Common patterns

  • 〜の天敵(てんてき): the natural enemy of ~
  • 天敵(てんてき)がいない: to have no natural enemies
  • 天敵(てんてき)を利用(りよう)する: to use natural enemies (biological pest control)

Usage

The figurative sense is very common in casual speech. People use it to describe anything they find difficult to deal with:

Related words

Related Words

Related: 捕食者(ほしょくしゃ) (predator)
Compare: 大敵(たいてき) (great enemy)
general
Added 2026.3.8 21:24 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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