ばかりだKeeps changing in one direction
This construction says that a situation keeps changing in the same direction, with no reversal in sight. It normally presents the trend as undesirable or worrying.
A continuing direction
The focus is not simply that something happens repeatedly. The speaker looks across a period of time and sees the situation moving steadily in one direction. Context should make both the time span and the direction easy to understand.
Typical worrying trends
Common examples involve a harmful increase or the continuing loss of something desirable.
In conversation
The omitted ending makes the reply conversational, but the continuing negative trend remains clear.
Do not identify the meaning from shape alone
With a dictionary-form change verb, the target meaning describes an ongoing trend. However, the identical sequence るばかりだ can instead mean that preparations are complete and only the final action remains when the context is about readiness. The form たばかりだ marks a recent event, while てばかりいる criticizes repeated concentration on one action. Neither describes a situation steadily changing in one direction.
More examples
物価は毎月上がるばかりだ。
Prices just keep rising every month.
Analyze手入れをやめてから、庭は荒れるばかりだ。
Since we stopped maintaining it, the garden has only become more overgrown.
Analyze薬を飲んでいるのに、症状は悪くなるばかりだ。
Even though I am taking medicine, the symptoms just keep getting worse.
Analyzeこの五年間、村の人口は減るばかりだ。
For the past five years, the village's population has done nothing but decline.
Analyze対応が遅れ、利用者の不満は大きくなるばかりです。
The delayed response is only causing users' dissatisfaction to grow.
Analyze話し合いを重ねても、二人の関係は悪化するばかりだ。
Even after repeated discussions, their relationship just keeps deteriorating.
Analyze