gloomy; pessimistic; dark-natured
Colloquial term describing a person with a fundamentally gloomy, pessimistic, or introverted personality. Often contrasted with 根明 (ねあか, 'cheerful by nature'). Used as a noun or na-adjective.
Antonyms: ネアカ
He's so gloomy by nature that he always thinks the worst.
I want to fix my pessimistic personality.
innate cheerfulness; sunny disposition · innately cheerful person; happy-go-lucky person; natural optimist
Standard kanji spelling; the characters literally mean 'root' and 'dark', suggesting a fundamentally gloomy disposition.
Katakana spelling is common in casual writing, especially online, and emphasizes the slangy, colloquial feel.
Compound of 根 (ne, 'root, nature') and 暗 (kura, 'dark'). The reading ねくら is a straightforward combination of the kun'yomi of each character. The word likely emerged as slang in the late 20th century, contrasting with 根明 (neaka).