凄すさまじい

す

さ

ま

じ

い

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

凄まじい · i-adjective

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	凄すさまじい	凄すさまじくない
Polite	凄すさまじいです	凄すさまじくないですalso 凄すさまじくありません
Past polite	凄すさまじかったです	凄すさまじくなかったですalso 凄すさまじくありませんでした
Past	凄すさまじかった	凄すさまじくなかった
Te-form	凄すさまじくて	凄すさまじくなくて
Adverbial	凄すさまじく
Conditional	凄すさまじければ	凄すさまじくなければ
Tara conditional	凄すさまじかったら	凄すさまじくなかったら

Meanings

i-adjective

terrible; dreadful; awful

Describes something intensely negative, frightening, or harsh, such as a storm, noise, or experience.

昨さく夜やの嵐あらしは凄すさまじかった。
Last night's storm was terrible.
彼かれの怒おこり方かたは凄すさまじいものだった。
His anger was dreadful.

i-adjective

tremendous; amazing; prodigious

Expresses that something is extraordinary in scale, intensity, or impressiveness, often with a positive or neutral tone.

彼かの女じょの努ど力りょくは凄すさまじい。
Her effort is tremendous.
この映えい画がの映えい像ぞう美びは凄すさまじい。
The visual beauty of this movie is amazing.

i-adjective

shocking; staggering; absurd

Used when something is so extreme that it is hard to believe, often implying disbelief or absurdity.

その値ね段だんの高たかさは凄すさまじい。
The price is staggering.
彼かれの無む責せき任にんさには凄すさまじいものがある。
His irresponsibility is shocking.

See all 23 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

凄すさまじい勢いきおいで〈動どう詞し〉to do something with tremendous force or momentum
火ひは凄すさまじい勢いきおいで燃もえ広ひろがった。
The fire spread with tremendous force.
凄すさまじい音おとがするto make a terrible, thunderous noise
衝しょう突とつした瞬しゅん間かん、凄すさまじい音おとがした。
At the moment of collision, there was a tremendous crash.
凄すさまじい人にん気きを集あつめるto gain enormous, remarkable popularity
そのアイドルは若わか者ものの間あいだで凄すさまじい人にん気きを集あつめている。
That idol has gained tremendous popularity among young people.
凄すさまじい形けい相そうで〈動どう詞し〉to do something with a terrifying facial expression
彼かれは凄すさまじい形けい相そうでこちらをにらんだ。
He glared at me with a terrifying expression.

Kanji

凄uncanny, weird, threatening

Related words· 7

すごいN5
凄い is the common, casual word for 'amazing' or 'terrible', while 凄まじい is stronger, more literary, and stresses extreme intensity.
恐おそろしいN3sense 1
恐ろしい centers on fear or dread, whereas 凄まじい can describe both frightening and awe-inspiring extremes, positive or negative.
ものすごいN3sense 2
ものすごい is a casual intensifier meaning 'incredible' or 'terrific', while 凄まじい is more formal and literary in tone.
激はげしいN3sense 1
激しい describes something violent or intense in degree (like rain or emotion), while 凄まじい adds a sense of overwhelming, almost frightening scale.

Show 3 more

甚はなはだしいN2sense 3
甚だしい is a formal word for 'extreme' or 'excessive', often used for abstract degrees, while 凄まじい conveys a more visceral, dramatic intensity.
猛もうN1
凄まじい conveys an awe-inspiring, overwhelming intensity that can describe almost anything, whereas 猛 is narrower, stressing fierce or aggressive force and appearing mainly as a prefix.
恐おそるべき
凄まじい describes something of overwhelming intensity (good or bad) and is a common i-adjective, whereas 恐るべき is a fixed literary phrase used only before a noun.

Written forms

凄すさまじいUsage42%
Standard kanji spelling; the only common written form.
すさまじいUsage54%
凄すさまじいUsage4%
search-only kanji form
Search-only variant; not used in modern writing.

Etymology

Continues classical すさまじ, related to the verb すさむ “rage, grow violent; become desolate.” Its older senses of chilling bleakness or unpleasantness broadened to extraordinary intensity, whether dreadful or impressive.