やけに

や

け

に

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

Colloquial adverb expressing that something is surprisingly or unreasonably intense, excessive, or out of the ordinary. Often carries a nuance of 'more than expected' or 'strangely'.

Usage patterns

やけに〈形けい容よう詞し〉unusually/surprisingly [adjective]
今日きょうはやけに暑あついですね。
It's unusually hot today, isn't it?
やけに〈動どう詞し〉to do [verb] surprisingly much/intensely
彼かれはやけに張はり切きっている。
He's being unusually enthusiastic.
やけに〈人ひと〉に優やさしいto be strangely/unusually kind to someone
彼かの女じょは今日きょうやけに私わたしに優やさしい。
She's being strangely kind to me today.

Related words

とてもN4
とても is a neutral intensifier meaning 'very', while やけに adds a subjective sense of surprise or unreasonableness to the degree.
非ひ常じょうにN4
非常に is a formal, neutral way to say 'extremely', whereas やけに is colloquial and implies the speaker finds the degree odd or excessive.
無む性しょうにN1
無性に typically describes an uncontrollable urge or craving, while やけに more broadly marks any surprisingly high degree.
やたらN2
やけに and やたら can both intensify an adjective to mean 'unusually/excessively', but やけに carries a stronger sense of surprise at an unexpected degree, while やたら simply marks excess or lack of restraint.

Etymology

Derived from 自棄 (やけ, 'desperation, self-abandonment'), with the adverbial particle に. The original sense of 'desperately' softened into a colloquial intensifier.