out of necessity; with no other option; unavoidably; reluctantly
Used when an action is taken because there is no other choice, often with a nuance of reluctance or resignation.
It started raining, so the game was unavoidably canceled.
He reluctantly accepted the conditions.
余儀なく is more formal and often used in official or written contexts, whereas やむなく is neutral and can be used in both spoken and written Japanese.
Rare kanji spelling; the kana form is strongly preferred.
Rare kanji spelling; the kana form is strongly preferred.
Derived from the verb 止む (やむ, 'to stop') in its negative continuative form 止まず (やまず) with the adverbial suffix なく, literally meaning 'without stopping' or 'unavoidably'. The kanji 止む and 已む are both used for the verb やむ, but the kana form is now standard.