ともすれば
ともすれば
adverb
apt to; tending to; all too easily
1.
apt to; tending to; liable to; all too easily
Indicates that something undesirable tends to happen or that a situation easily drifts in a negative direction. Used to warn about natural but unwanted tendencies.
ともすれば忘れがちになる。
One tends to forget all too easily.
議論はともすれば感情的になりやすい。
Discussions are apt to become emotional.
効率を追い求めると、ともすれば大切なものを見失いがちだ。
When pursuing efficiency, one all too easily tends to lose sight of what's important.
A somewhat literary adverb that signals an undesirable tendency. Always points to something negative or problematic that naturally tends to occur. The variant ともすると has the same meaning.
USAGE:
Appears at the beginning or middle of a sentence. Almost always followed by a negative tendency — something undesirable that happens if one is not careful. Common in essays, commentary, and formal speech. Often paired with がち (tending to) or やすい (easy to).
VARIANTS:
- ともすると — same meaning, slightly more colloquial
- ややもすれば — similar meaning, more literary
- ややもすると — similar meaning
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ともすれば〜がちだ — tend to (negative)
- ともすれば〜なりやすい — liable to become
- ともすれば見落としがちな — apt to overlook
SIMILAR WORDS:
- ややもすれば — tending to (more literary)
- つい — unintentionally, inadvertently (more casual)
- 得てして — apt to, tending to (written style)