甘んじる
あまんじる
verb-ichidan
to accept; to resign oneself to; to content oneself with
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 甘んじる | 甘んじない |
| Present polite | 甘んじます | 甘んじません |
| Past | 甘んじた | 甘んじなかった |
| Past polite | 甘んじました | 甘んじませんでした |
| て form | 甘んじて | 甘んじなくて |
| ている present | 甘んじている | 甘んじていない |
| ている polite | 甘んじています | 甘んじていません |
| ている past | 甘んじていた | 甘んじていなかった |
| ている past polite | 甘んじていました | 甘んじていませんでした |
| Conditional ば | 甘んじれば | 甘んじなければ |
| Conditional たら | 甘んじたら | 甘んじなかったら |
| Volitional | 甘んじよう | — |
| Volitional polite | 甘んじましょう | — |
| Potential | 甘んじられる | 甘んじられない |
| Passive | 甘んじられる | 甘んじられない |
| Causative | 甘んじさせる | 甘んじさせない |
| Imperative | 甘んじろ | 甘んじるな |
1.
to accept; to resign oneself to; to submit to
To accept an unfavorable situation or outcome without resistance. Implies a passive acceptance of something undesirable, often because one feels powerless to change it or considers it deserved.
罰に甘んじる。
To accept one's punishment.
敗北に甘んじるしかなかった。
I had no choice but to accept defeat.
批判を受けても、それに甘んじて自分の信念を貫いた。
Even when criticized, he accepted it and stuck to his convictions.
2.
to content oneself with; to settle for
To be satisfied with less than what might be desired or expected. Often used with a critical nuance, suggesting the person should aspire to more.
現状に甘んじてはいけない。
You must not settle for the status quo.
二位に甘んじるつもりはない。
I have no intention of settling for second place.
低い給料に甘んじていると、いつまでも生活は楽にならない。
If you settle for a low salary, your life will never get easier.
Derived from 甘い (sweet, lenient). The verb conveys the idea of passively accepting something, as though yielding to sweetness or leniency. Most commonly appears in the pattern ～に甘んじる. The older form 甘んずる also exists but is rare in modern usage.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 罰に甘んじる: to accept punishment
- 現状に甘んじる: to settle for the status quo
- 敗北に甘んじる: to accept defeat
- 批判に甘んじる: to accept criticism
- ～に甘んじてはいけない: must not settle for ~
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 受け入れる: to accept — neutral; simply means to accept without the nuance of resignation
- 我慢する: to endure, put up with — emphasizes tolerating something unpleasant through willpower
- 諦める: to give up — focuses on abandoning hope, while 甘んじる focuses on accepting a lesser outcome