also: じりひん
gradual decline; slowly worsening situation
Describes a situation that is deteriorating little by little, especially financially. Often used in economic or personal finance contexts. The word combines the onomatopoeia じりじり (slowly but steadily) with 貧 (poverty).
At this rate, things will only get worse and worse.
We can't escape from this gradually worsening business situation.
Hiragana variant of the onomatopoeic part; less common but still encountered.
Abbreviation of じりじり貧乏, literally a state of becoming poorer little by little. The element じりじり expresses slow but steady deterioration.