をものともせず（に）undeterred by; in spite of (something serious)
Someone runs into something that would stop most people, and keeps going anyway. The sentence admires them for it.
Undeterred by the fierce blizzard, the rescue team continued searching for those who were missing.
How to form it
Noun + をものともせず（に）
The に is optional and changes nothing.
- Before it
- A word for something hard: 吹雪 (a blizzard), 病気 (illness), けが (an injury), 反対 (opposition), 批判 (criticism).
- After it
- What they did anyway: 続けた, 完成させた, 戦い抜いた.
- Said about
- Other people, not yourself.
- Where you'll meet it
- News reports, sports writing, biographies, speeches. Hardly ever in conversation.
In use
Undeterred by opposition around them, the residents continued their campaign to preserve the old theater.
Undaunted by the pain in his leg, the player fought through the entire overtime period.
Undeterred by repeated criticism, she continued arguing for the need for reform.
Two things to know
It's praise, so it's about someone else
The person speaking is impressed. Said about yourself, it sounds like admiring your own courage.
Not said: 私は
(I went to work, undeterred by a high fever.)
About yourself, just say what happened: 熱があったけど、出勤した.
The obstacle is a big one
It belongs with storms, serious illness and fierce opposition. With something small it comes out as a joke.
Sounds odd: 弟は
Undaunted by the drizzle, my little brother walked to the convenience store.
Fine if you are teasing him.
Close neighbours
をよそにN1
Someone pays no attention to what other people feel: their worry, their protests, their hopes. The writer is usually uneasy or amazed, not admiring.
Ignoring everyone's worry, he went into the winter mountains alone.
を顧みずN1
Someone doesn't stop to think about a risk or a cost. It can read as brave or as reckless.
The reporter entered the conflict zone without regard for personal safety.
もかまわずN2
Said as well as written, and often critical: someone doesn't care who is watching or what others think.
She cried out loud, not caring who was watching.
Check yourself
1Which one fits?
親の
Choose an answer to see why.
2Which sentence sounds natural?
Choose an answer to see why.
More detail
It comes from ものともしない, to think nothing of something. せず is an older way to say しないで.
A whole clause can come before it with の:
He ran to the very end, undeterred by the pain in his leg.
More sentences
Undeterred by the risk of an explosion, the firefighters rushed into the building.
Undeterred by a lack of funding, the research team completed the prototype.
The survey team continued its observations in the desert, undeterred by the extreme heat.