芳しくない · i-adjective
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 芳しくない | 芳しくなくない |
| Polite | 芳しくないです | 芳しくなくないですalso 芳しくなくありません |
| Past polite | 芳しくなかったです | 芳しくなくなかったですalso 芳しくなくありませんでした |
| Past | 芳しくなかった | 芳しくなくなかった |
| Te-form | 芳しくなくて | 芳しくなくなくて |
| Adverbial | 芳しくなく | |
| Conditional | 芳しくなければ | 芳しくなくなければ |
| Tara conditional | 芳しくなかったら | 芳しくなくなかったら |
poor; unsatisfactory; unfavorable
Used almost exclusively in the negative form 芳しくない to describe results, evaluations, or conditions that are not good. Often appears in formal or written contexts.
The results of this exam were not satisfactory.
The economic outlook is unfavorable.
This semester's grades are unsatisfactory.
His recovery after the surgery is not going well.
The response to the new product has been poor.
良好 means 'good, favorable' and is the formal opposite of 芳しくない, which means 'poor, unsatisfactory'.
芳しい is the positive base adjective meaning 'fragrant' or 'excellent' but is rarely used alone in modern speech, while 芳しくない is the fixed negative form meaning 'unsatisfactory'.
The negative form of 芳しい (kanbashii), which originally meant 'fragrant' or 'sweet-smelling'. Over time, 芳しくない developed the extended meaning 'not good' or 'unsatisfactory', while the affirmative form became rare.