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恐るべき (おそるべき) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

恐おそるべき

お

そ

る

べ

き

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun-modifying (irregular)

terrible; dreadful; horrifying

Describes something that inspires fear, shock, or strong negative emotion. Used prenominally to modify nouns.

それは恐おそるべき事じ故こだった。
That was a terrible accident.
彼かれは恐おそるべき形ぎょう相

そう

で

にらん

だ

。

He glared with a terrifying look on his face.

2

noun-modifying (irregular)

astonishing; staggering; tremendous

Expresses amazement at something extraordinary in scale, degree, or impact. Can be positive or neutral depending on context.

彼かの女じょは恐おそるべき速はやさで問もん題だいを解といた。
She solved the problems at an astonishing speed.
その計けい画かくには恐おそるべき費ひ用ようがかかる。
The plan requires a staggering amount of money.

Written forms

恐おそるべき
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
畏おそるべき
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; 畏 conveys awe or reverence, but this spelling is seldom used in modern Japanese.

Kanji

恐fear, dread, awe
畏fear, majestic, graciously

Similar words

恐おそろしい
恐ろしい is a standard i-adjective meaning 'frightening' or 'terrible', used in both attributive and predicative positions. 恐るべき is a literary prenominal form that sounds more formal and emphatic.
すごい
すごい is a common casual adjective for 'amazing' or 'terrible'. 恐るべき carries a heavier, more dramatic tone and is less colloquial.

Etymology

Derived from the classical verb 恐る (osoru, 'to fear') + the auxiliary べき (beki, 'should'), literally meaning 'should be feared'. The form fossilized as a prenominal adjective.