やむなく

や

む

な

く

Meanings

adverb

out of necessity; with no other option; unavoidably; reluctantly

usually written using kana alone

Used when an action is taken because there is no other choice, often with a nuance of reluctance or resignation.

雨あめが降ふってきたので、やむなく試し合あいは中ちゅう止しになった。
It started raining, so the game was unavoidably canceled.
彼かれはやむなくその条じょう件けんを受うけ入いれた。
He reluctantly accepted the conditions.

Kanji

止stop, halt
無nothingness, none, ain't
已stop, halt, previously

Related words

仕し方かたなく
仕方なく is more common in everyday speech and emphasizes having no alternative, while やむなく is slightly more formal and often implies unavoidable circumstances.
余よ儀ぎなく
余儀なく is more formal and often used in official or written contexts, whereas やむなく is neutral and can be used in both spoken and written Japanese.

Built from

止やむ+無む

Written forms

止やむ無なく
Rare kanji spelling; the kana form is strongly preferred.
已やむ無なく
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji spelling; the kana form is strongly preferred.

Etymology

Derived from the verb 止む (やむ, 'to stop') in its negative continuative form 止まず (やまず) with the adverbial suffix なく, literally meaning 'without stopping' or 'unavoidably'. The kanji 止む and 已む are both used for the verb やむ, but the kana form is now standard.