あだやおろそか

Meanings

making light of; disregarding; treating as trivial

usually written using kana alone

Used in negative contexts to express that something should not be taken lightly or neglected. Often appears in set phrases like あだやおろそかにできない or あだやおろそかには扱えない.

この問もん題だいはあだやおろそかにできない。
This problem cannot be taken lightly.
彼かれの警けい告こくをあだやおろそかにしてはいけない。
You must not disregard his warning.

Kanji

徒on foot, junior, emptiness
疎alienate, rough, neglect
仇foe, enemy, revenge

Related words

おろそか
おろそか alone means 'neglectful' or 'careless', while あだやおろそか is a stronger, more emphatic expression meaning 'making light of' or 'treating as trivial'.
軽かろんじる
軽んじる is a verb meaning 'to look down on' or 'to make light of', whereas あだやおろそか is an adjectival noun used in negative constructions.

Built from

徒あだ+おろそか

Written forms

徒あだや疎おろそか
Rare kanji spelling; 徒 represents 'futility' and 疎か 'neglect', but the combination is not standard.
仇あだや疎おろそか
irregular kanji usage
Irregular kanji usage; 仇 can mean 'enemy' or 'harm', making this spelling potentially misleading.
仇あだやおろそか
irregular kanji usage
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; irregular and rarely used.
徒あだやおろそか
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; irregular and rarely used.

Etymology

The expression combines あだ (futility, transience) and おろそか (neglect, carelessness). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it likely developed as an emphatic phrase meaning 'to treat as both futile and negligible'.