めっきり
Meanings
1
adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle
remarkably; noticeably; considerably
Describes a clear, often sudden change in degree or state, especially a decline or increase that is easy to perceive. Commonly used with verbs like 減る, 増える, 寒くなる, 涼しくなる.
When autumn came, it became noticeably cooler.
Lately, I've seen him around considerably less.
Usage patterns
- めっきり〈形容詞〉くなるto become noticeably (colder, etc.)
Now that it's autumn, it has become noticeably colder.
- めっきり減る／増えるto noticeably decrease or increase
Lately, the number of customers has noticeably decreased.
- めっきり老けるto age noticeably
He has aged noticeably over the past year.