忌まわしい
いまわしい
i-adjective
abominable; detestable; ominous; unlucky
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 忌まわしい | 忌まわしくない |
| Past | 忌まわしかった | 忌まわしくなかった |
| て form | 忌まわしくて | 忌まわしくなくて |
| Adverbial | 忌まわしく | — |
| Conditional ば | 忌まわしければ | 忌まわしくなければ |
| Conditional たら | 忌まわしかったら | 忌まわしくなかったら |
1.
abominable; detestable; repugnant; revolting
Describing something so unpleasant or morally repulsive that it provokes strong feelings of disgust or hatred. Used for events, memories, or situations that one wishes to forget.
忌まわしい記憶。
A detestable memory.
忌まわしい事件が起きた。
A horrible incident occurred.
あの忌まわしい過去を思い出したくない。
I don't want to recall that abominable past.
2.
ominous; unlucky; inauspicious
Describing something that is considered a bad omen or brings bad luck. An older usage that retains the original meaning of the word.
忌まわしい数字。
An unlucky number.
忌まわしい前兆を感じた。
I sensed an ominous foreboding.
この土地には忌まわしい言い伝えがある。
There is an inauspicious legend associated with this land.
From the verb 忌む (to avoid, to shun as taboo), with the suffix -わしい indicating a quality that evokes the base verb's meaning. Carries a strong emotional weight — heavier than simply "unpleasant" or "bad."
USAGE:
Primarily used as a modifier before nouns. Sense 1 (detestable) is more common in modern Japanese, while sense 2 (ominous) retains a literary or traditional flavor. Often appears in news reporting about crimes or disasters.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 忌まわしい記憶 — detestable memory
- 忌まわしい過去 — abominable past
- 忌まわしい事件 — horrible incident
- 忌まわしい出来事 — dreadful event
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 恐ろしい — frightening, terrifying (focuses on fear rather than moral revulsion)
- 憎い — hateful (directed at a specific person or thing one resents)
- 不吉な — ominous, ill-omened (closer to sense 2, but more commonly used in everyday speech)