1.
keenly; acutely; with mounting force
Describes a feeling — pressure, responsibility, loneliness, someone's intent — closing in and being felt more and more strongly. Used with と, and almost always with 感じる or 伝わる.
Common patterns
- Always ひしひしと in practice, and normally followed by a verb of feeling or transmission.
Common collocations
- ひしひしと感じる: to feel keenly
- ひしひしと伝わる: to come through strongly
- ひしひしと迫る: to press in on one
- 緊張感がひしひしと伝わる: the tension comes across sharply
Usage
The image is of something closing in from all sides, so what is felt is usually weighty — pressure, expectation, danger, gratitude. It does not describe cheerful feelings: ひしひしと嬉しい is not idiomatic.