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まどろっこしい Japanese meaning | Kotomora

まどろっこしい

also: まどろこしい

ま

ど

ろ

っ

こ

し

い

Meanings

1

i-adjective

frustratingly slow; tedious; roundabout

Describes a process, explanation, or person's manner that feels unnecessarily slow, indirect, or long-winded, causing irritation or impatience.

彼かれの説せつ明めいはいつもまどろっこしくて、要よう点てんがなかなか見みえない。
His explanations are always so roundabout that it's hard to see the point.

この

ソフト

は

動どう

作さ

が

まどろっこしい

。

This software is frustratingly slow.

Written forms

まどろっこしいUsage88%
Standard kana spelling; no kanji form exists.
まどろこしいUsage13%
Less common variant without the geminate consonant.

Similar words

じれったい
じれったい focuses on the feeling of irritation from waiting or lack of progress, while まどろっこしい emphasizes the slowness or indirectness of the process itself.
もどかしい
もどかしい expresses impatience or frustration when things don't go as quickly as desired, often with a nuance of personal helplessness; まどろっこしい is more about the objective slowness or tediousness of something external.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. It may be related to the mimetic word まどろむ (to doze off), suggesting a drowsy, sluggish quality, but the exact derivation is unclear.