報われない
むくわれない
i-adjective
unrewarded; unrecognized; futile
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 報われない | 報われなくない |
| Past | 報われなかった | 報われなくなかった |
| て form | 報われなくて | 報われなくなくて |
| Adverbial | 報われなく | — |
| Conditional ば | 報われなければ | 報われなくなければ |
| Conditional たら | 報われなかったら | 報われなくなかったら |
1.
unrewarded; unrecognized; going unappreciated
Describes effort, devotion, or hard work that does not receive the recognition or reward it deserves. The negative passive form of 報いる (to reward).
2.
futile; in vain; fruitless
Describes actions or attempts that produce no positive result, emphasizing the emotional sense of wasted effort.
Negative passive form of 報いる (to reward/repay). While grammatically derived, 報われない is extremely common as a set expression and functions almost as an independent adjective, especially in the collocation 報われない努力.
Common collocations
- 報われない努力: unrewarded effort
- 報われない恋: unrequited love
- 報われない思い: unreciprocated feelings
- 報われない苦労: unappreciated hardship
Usage
Often used with the positive counterpart 報われる (to be rewarded) in motivational contexts: 努力は必ず報われる (effort is always rewarded). The negative form carries a tone of resignation or emotional pain.