adverb
extraordinarily; extremely; absurdly
Adverbial use meaning 'to an extreme degree', often with a nuance of being unreasonably or absurdly so. Common in casual speech.
今日はめっぽう暑いね。
It's awfully hot today, isn't it?
彼はめっぽう強い相手だった。
He was an extraordinarily strong opponent.
na-adjective
extraordinary; outrageous; absurd
Dated adjectival use describing something as extreme, unreasonable, or beyond normal limits. Rare in modern Japanese.
それは滅法な話だ。
That's an outrageous story.
noun
unconditioned dharma
Buddhist term referring to the unconditioned, beyond cause and effect. Technical and rare outside religious contexts.
仏教では、滅法は因縁を超えた真理を指す。
In Buddhism, 滅法 refers to a truth beyond causality.
Originally a Buddhist term (滅法, 'extinguishing dharma' or 'unconditioned'), later used in secular language to mean 'extreme' or 'absurd'. The exact semantic shift is uncertain.