見みくびる

み

く

び

る

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

見くびる · godan verb (-ru)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	見みくびる	見みくびらない
Polite	見みくびります	見みくびりません
Past polite	見みくびりました	見みくびりませんでした
Past	見みくびった	見みくびらなかった
Te-form	見みくびって	見みくびらないで
Desire	見みくびりたい	見みくびりたくない
Potential	見みくびれる	見みくびれない
Passive	見みくびられる	見みくびられない
Causative	見みくびらせる	見みくびらせない
Causative passive	見みくびらせられるalso 見みくびらされる	見みくびらせられないalso 見みくびらされない
Volitional	見みくびろう
Polite volitional	見みくびりましょう
Imperative	見みくびれ	見みくびるな
Conditional	見みくびれば	見みくびらなければ
Tara conditional	見みくびったら	見みくびらなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

underrate; belittle; look down on

Expresses underestimating someone's ability, worth, or strength, often with a nuance of contempt or dismissiveness.

彼かれの実じつ力りょくを見みくびっていた。
I underestimated his ability.
相あい手てを見みくびると痛いたい目めにあう。
If you look down on your opponent, you'll get hurt.

See all 12 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉を見みくびるto underestimate/belittle someone
彼かれはライバルを見みくびって試し合あいに負まけた。
He underestimated his rival and lost the match.
〈人ひと〉の力ちからを見みくびるto underestimate someone's strength/ability
彼かの女じょの実じつ力りょくを見みくびってはいけない。
You shouldn't underestimate her actual ability.
見みくびられるto be underestimated/looked down on
新しん人じんだからと見みくびられて悔くやしかった。
It was frustrating to be looked down on just because I was new.

Kanji

見see, hopes, chances
縊strangle

Related words· 6

侮あなどるN1
侮る is a more formal, often written word for underestimating someone, while 見くびる is colloquial and carries a stronger sense of personal contempt.
軽かろんじるN1
軽んじる means to treat something or someone lightly or with little respect, whereas 見くびる specifically means to underestimate a person's ability or strength.
甘あまく見みる
甘く見る means to take something too lightly or underestimate its difficulty, while 見くびる focuses on underestimating a person's capability with a dismissive attitude.
馬ば鹿かにするN2
馬鹿にする means to mock or make fun of someone, which is more openly insulting than 見くびる, which is about quietly underestimating someone.

Show 2 more

見み下くだすN1
見くびる means to underestimate or belittle someone's ability, while 見下す is broader and covers general contempt or condescension.
見み損そこなうN1
見くびる means to underestimate someone from the start, whereas 見損なう means realizing after the fact that you misjudged someone's character.

Opposites

見み上あげるN3
見上げる means to look up to and admire someone, the opposite of 見くびる's meaning of looking down on and underestimating someone.
買かいかぶるN1
見くびる means to underestimate or look down on someone, the opposite of 買いかぶる which means to overestimate them.

Don't confuse with

見み積つもるN1
見積もる sounds similar to 見くびる but means to estimate a cost or quantity, not to underestimate or belittle a person.

Written forms

見みくびるUsage75%
Standard modern spelling; the second kanji is often written in kana.
みくびるUsage21%
見み縊くびるUsage4%
Full kanji form; the second kanji is uncommon and this spelling is rarely used.

Etymology

The verb 見くびる, also written 見縊る, has meant “regard lightly” or “underestimate” since at least the early modern period. Its deeper internal formation is uncertain.