嫌々(いやいや)ながら

いやいやながら
adverb
reluctantly; unwillingly; grudgingly
1. reluctantly; unwillingly; grudgingly
Doing something while clearly not wanting to do it. Conveys that the person complied but with obvious displeasure or resistance.
嫌々(いやいや)ながら引(ひ)き受(う)けた。
I reluctantly accepted.
子供(こども)は嫌々(いやいや)ながら宿題(しゅくだい)を始(はじ)めた。
The child grudgingly started their homework.
上司(じょうし)の命令(めいれい)なので嫌々(いやいや)ながらも残業(ざんぎょう)することにした。
Since it was my boss's order, I decided to work overtime even though I didn't want to.

Composed of 嫌々(いやいや) (unwillingly, a reduplication of 嫌(いや)) and ながら (while/although). The word emphasizes that someone is doing something despite clearly not wanting to. Also written as いやいやながら without kanji.

Common patterns

  • 嫌々(いやいや)ながら引(ひ)き受(う)ける: to accept reluctantly
  • 嫌々(いやいや)ながらも: even though reluctantly (emphasizes compliance)
  • 嫌々(いやいや)ながら従(したが)う: to comply grudgingly

Similar words

Related Words

Compare: 仕方(しかた)なく (having no choice)
general
Added 2026.3.31 2:18 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
20500/20829_iyaiyanagara