いっそのこと

い

っ

そ

の

こ

と

Common word

Meanings

adverb

rather; sooner; preferably

usually written using kana alone

Expresses a preference for a more extreme or decisive alternative, often when the current situation is unsatisfactory. Similar to いっそ but slightly more colloquial and emphatic.

Usage patterns

いっその事こと〈動どう詞し〉てしまおうwhy not just go ahead and do X (and be done with it)
こんな会かい社しゃ、いっその事こと辞やめてしまおう。
This company is hopeless—I might as well just quit.
いっその事こと〈動どう詞し〉たほうがいいit would be better to just do X outright
迷まよっているなら、いっその事こと買かったほうがいい。
If you're hesitating, you might as well just buy it.
いっその事こと〈事こと〉ことにするto decide to just go with the more drastic option of X
話はなし合あいが長なが引びくなら、いっその事こと中ちゅう止しすることにした。
Since the talks were dragging on, we decided to just cancel it altogether.

Kanji

事matter, thing, fact
一one, one radical (no.1)
層stratum, social class, layer

Related words

いっそN2
いっそ is a shorter, somewhat more literary form with the same meaning, while いっその事 is the more conversational, emphatic version.
むしろN3
むしろ simply weighs one option as preferable to another, whereas いっその事 pushes for a bolder, more drastic alternative.

Written forms

いっその事こと
Kanji spelling using 事; less common but seen in some writing.
一層いっその事こと
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; it is rarely used.

Etymology

Derived from いっそ (itself from 一層) with the addition of の事, literally 'the thing of doing it all the more'. The exact historical development is uncertain, but it serves as an adverbial phrase emphasizing a preferred alternative.