Usage patterns 適てき 当とう な 〈 物もの 〉 を 選えら ぶ to choose a suitable thing
I chose clothes suitable for the party.
〈 事こと 〉 を 適てき 当とう に 済す ませる to get something done in a slapdash way
I did my homework in a sloppy, careless way.
適てき 当とう なことを 言い う to say irresponsible or careless things
He always says careless, irresponsible things.
適てき 当とう に 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 to do something in a rough, casual way (also: appropriately, as needed)
Just cut the vegetables however you like.
Kanji 適 suitable, occasional, rare Related words· 11 適切 is a more formal, objective word for 'appropriate,' while 適当 can be subjective and also carries a casual negative sense.
いい加減 shares 適当 's negative 'sloppy, irresponsible' meaning but is stronger and can also mean 'enough already'.
適正 stresses correctness or fairness (e.g. 適正価格 ), whereas 適当 is broader and can simply mean 'good enough for the situation'.
ふさわしい is a plain adjective meaning 'fitting' for a person or role, while 適当 is a na-adjective/noun with a wider, sometimes negative, range of use.
Show 7 more Show fewer 適当 can mean 'half-hearted' or 'careless' just like アバウト in its negative sense, but 適当 also has a positive meaning of 'suitable' that アバウト lacks.
適当 (in its negative sense) means doing something in a perfunctory, careless way, whereas 無責任 focuses on the moral failing of not owning up to consequences.
適当 can be neutral or even positive ('suitable'), whereas でたらめ is always negative, meaning careless or groundless.
適当 suggests doing something in a random or perfunctory way, while 無造作 emphasizes doing it naturally and without conscious effort, which need not sound negative.
適当 can mean 'suitable' but often implies a casual or approximate fit, while 手ごろ implies something is precisely the right level for practical purposes.
適当 (in its negative sense) means careless or perfunctory about how something is done, while 不真面目 describes an underlying lack of seriousness or commitment.
適当 can mean suitably fitting like 相応 , but it also commonly carries a negative sense of sloppy or careless that 相応 never has.
Opposites· 5 真剣 describes doing something seriously and earnestly, the opposite of 適当 's careless, halfhearted attitude.
丁寧 means careful and thorough, contrasting with 適当 's sloppy, corner-cutting sense.
適当 means suitable or fitting (the opposite of 不適当 ), though colloquially 適当 can also mean careless, which can confuse learners.
Show 2 more Show fewer 適当 (used negatively) means doing something carelessly or halfheartedly, the opposite of doing something ちゃんと (properly and reliably).
精一杯 means giving one's full effort, while 適当 means doing something carelessly or half-heartedly without trying very hard.
Don't confuse with· 9 適応 means 'to adapt' to conditions, while 適当 means 'suitable' or 'sloppy'; the shared 適 kanji causes confusion despite the different meanings.
適当 shares the kanji 適 and can mean 'suitable' like 適度 , but it also commonly means 'careless' or 'random', a negative sense 適度 never has.
適当 shares the kanji 適 with 適正 but usually means either 'suitable' in a loose sense or, colloquially, 'careless/random', unlike 適正 's strict sense of objective fairness.
Show 6 more Show fewer 適当 shares the kanji 適 with 適切 and can mean 'suitable', but it is also commonly used to mean 'careless' or 'random', a negative sense 適切 never has.
適当 shares the kanji 適 with 最適 but usually means 'suitable' or, informally, 'careless/random', not 'the single best option' like 最適 .
適当 shares the kanji 適 and can mean 'appropriate' like 適宜 , but in casual speech 適当 often shifts to mean 'careless' or 'random,' a nuance 適宜 never carries.
適当 often carries a negative nuance of 'careless/sloppy' in casual speech, whereas ほどほど always keeps a positive sense of sensible moderation.
適量 always means a suitable quantity or dose, whereas 適当 shares the kanji 適 but usually means 'suitable' in a general sense or, colloquially, 'careless/random'.
適当 shares the kanji 適 with 適時 but means 'suitable' or, informally, 'careless/haphazard', not 'well-timed'.
Etymology From 適 (suitable) + 当 (hit, appropriate). The negative sense developed from the idea of doing only what is 'just enough' or 'barely suitable', leading to 'half-hearted'.
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