1.
creepy; eerie; unsettling
Describes something that gives an uncomfortable, uneasy feeling, often because it is strange, unnatural, or slightly frightening.
あの建物は気味が悪い。
That building is creepy.
夜にあの道を歩くと気味が悪い。
Walking down that road at night is unsettling.
誰もいないのに足音が聞こえて気味が悪かった。
I heard footsteps even though no one was there, and it was eerie.
気味 here means 'feeling' or 'sensation,' so the expression literally means 'the feeling is bad.' Describes an instinctive unease provoked by something strange or unnatural. The shortened form 気味悪い (or 気味わるい) is also common in casual speech.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 気味が悪い話: a creepy story
- 気味が悪い笑い: an unsettling laugh
- なんだか気味が悪い: somehow creepy
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 不気味: eerie, uncanny — a na-adjective with a similar meaning but slightly more literary; 気味が悪い is more conversational
- 怖い: scary — a stronger, more direct word for fear, while 気味が悪い describes a subtler sense of unease rather than outright fear
- 薄気味悪い: creepy, slightly eerie — emphasizes a milder, lingering eeriness