いや増ます

い

や

ま

す

Meanings

1

godan verb (-su), intransitive verb

increase more and more; grow increasingly intense

formal or literary

Formal or literary intransitive verb describing a gradual, continuous intensification or increase. Often used with abstract nouns like 思い, 悲しみ, or 不安.

彼かれへの思おもいはいや増ますばかりだ。
My feelings for him only grow stronger and stronger.
不ふ安あんがいや増ま

し

て

いく

。

My anxiety continues to intensify.

Written forms

いや増ますUsage86%
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling; the kanji 増す is common for 'increase'.
いやますUsage14%
Kana spelling is practical for learners and common in modern casual writing.
弥いや増ます
Rare kanji spelling using 弥, which can be confused with other readings; mostly seen in older or literary texts.

Kanji

増increase, add, augment
弥all the more, increasingly

Similar words

増ます
増す is a common verb for 'increase' in both transitive and intransitive uses, while いや増す is a formal/literary intransitive compound emphasizing continuous intensification.
強つよまる
強まる means 'to become stronger' in a general sense; いや増す carries a more poetic or emotional nuance of gradual, relentless increase.

Etymology

Compound of the prefix いや (more and more) and the verb 増す (to increase). The prefix いや is an old intensifier, and the combination is now a formal/literary expression.