真面目くさい
まじめくさい
adjective
overly serious; excessively earnest; stiff
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 真面目くさい | 真面目くさくない |
| Past | 真面目くさかった | 真面目くさくなかった |
| て form | 真面目くさくて | 真面目くさくなくて |
| Adverbial | 真面目くさく | — |
| Conditional ば | 真面目くさければ | 真面目くさくなければ |
| Conditional たら | 真面目くさかったら | 真面目くさくなかったら |
1.
overly serious; excessively earnest; stiff
Describes someone or something that appears too serious to the point of being stiff, boring, or annoying. Carries a critical or mocking nuance, suggesting the seriousness is excessive or pretentious.
真面目くさい顔をしている。
He has an overly serious look on his face.
そんな真面目くさい話はやめよう。
Let's stop with such a stiff conversation.
彼はいつも真面目くさい態度で、冗談が通じない。
He always has such a stiff attitude that jokes don't get through to him.
Composed of 真面目 (serious, earnest) and the suffix くさい (smelling of; having an unpleasant quality of). The くさい suffix adds a pejorative nuance, turning the positive quality of being serious into something excessive and off-putting. Note that 真面目 itself is generally positive, while 真面目くさい is always negative or teasing.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 真面目くさい顔: overly serious face
- 真面目くさい態度: stiff attitude
- 真面目くさい話: stuffy conversation
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 堅い: stiff, rigid — describes a formal or inflexible person; less pejorative
- 真面目: serious, earnest — neutral to positive in tone
- 気取った: affected, pretentious — putting on airs more broadly, not just about seriousness