涙(なみだ)ぐましい

なみだぐましい
i-adjective
touching; moving; heartrending
emotion
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present涙(なみだ)ぐましい涙(なみだ)ぐましくない
Past涙(なみだ)ぐましかった涙(なみだ)ぐましくなかった
て form涙(なみだ)ぐましくて涙(なみだ)ぐましくなくて
Adverbial涙(なみだ)ぐましく—
Conditional ば涙(なみだ)ぐましければ涙(なみだ)ぐましくなければ
Conditional たら涙(なみだ)ぐましかったら涙(なみだ)ぐましくなかったら
1. touching; moving; heartrending
Describes an effort or situation so earnest, or so pitiable, that it moves one nearly to tears. Most often used of someone's painstaking, self-sacrificing efforts.
涙(なみだ)ぐましい努力(どりょく)を続(つづ)けた。
He kept up his touching efforts.
彼女(かのじょ)の涙(なみだ)ぐましい努力(どりょく)がついに実(みの)った。
Her heartrending efforts finally bore fruit.
家族(かぞく)のために働(はたら)き続(つづ)けるその姿(すがた)は、涙(なみだ)ぐましいほどだった。
The sight of him working on and on for his family was almost enough to bring you to tears.

Literally "tear-provoking." Describes earnest, often self-sacrificing efforts that touch the heart; carries sympathy and admiration rather than pity alone.

Common collocations

  • 涙(なみだ)ぐましい努力(どりょく): touching, painstaking efforts (by far the most common pairing)
  • 涙(なみだ)ぐましい姿(すがた): a moving sight
  • 涙(なみだ)ぐましいほど: to a touching degree

Similar words

  • 痛(いた)ましい: pitiful, distressing — emphasizes pain and misfortune, not admiration
  • 健気(けなげ)な: admirable (of a weak person's brave effort) — praises the spirit rather than moving one to tears

Related Words

Compare: 健気(けなげ) (admirable)
general
Added 2026.7.16 12:17 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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