Usage patterns 酷ひど く 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 to do/experience something to a terrible or extreme degree
He failed the exam and is terribly depressed.
酷ひど く 〈 形けい 容よう 詞し 〉 to be extremely/terribly (a negative state)
My head has been hurting terribly since yesterday.
酷ひど く 疲つか れる to become utterly exhausted
I was utterly exhausted after moving.
Kanji 酷 cruel, severe, atrocious 道 road-way, street, district Related words· 7 とても is a neutral, everyday intensifier for any degree, while 酷く carries a negative or extreme connotation.
非常に is a formal, neutral intensifier used in writing and speech, whereas 酷く specifically implies something bad or severe.
甚だ is a literary, formal intensifier often used with negative or regrettable situations, much like 酷く but more bookish.
すごく is a casual, all-purpose intensifier that can be positive or negative, while 酷く is used mainly for negative or severe situations.
Show 3 more Show fewer ひどく means 'terribly, severely' and simply intensifies a negative quality, whereas どうにも in this sense adds a nuance of being beyond help or unbearable.
ひどく often carries a negative or excessive nuance ('terribly'), whereas 痛く is more neutral in tone despite its formality.
ひどく means 'terribly' or 'severely' in a general sense, while 散々 often implies a prolonged or repeated negative experience.
Written forms 酷ひど く
Standard kanji form, though It is usually written in kana.
非ひ 道ど く
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
Etymology Adverbial form of the adjective ひどい (terrible, cruel). The kanji 酷 carries the meaning of 'severe' or 'cruel', while 非道 literally means 'unjust path', but the kana spelling is most common.
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