えらい・偉い・豪いerai[2]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. i-adjectivegreat; excellent; admirable; commendable; laudable; honorable; wonderful; outstanding; extraordinary
   私はあの人ひとが将来しょうらい偉えらくなると見取みとった。↗

   I discerned the potential of great things in him.
2. i-adjectivedistinguished; important; high-ranking; powerful; eminent; famous
   あの偉えらい坊ぼうさんを見みろよ。↗

   Look at the big shot.
3. i-adjectiveawful; terrible; serious; tremendous; great; mighty; severe
   妻つまはアメリカでの新あたらしい生活せいかつのリズムに慣なれるのにえらい苦労くろうした。↗

   My wife had a hard time getting into the swing of our new life in America.
4. i-adjectivetiring; tough; hard
5. adverbvery; extremely

• Synonym見事みごとNeutralRefers to something brilliantly done, stressing the perfection of the display; 「偉い」 is about a person's rank or being worthy of praise.
• Synonym感心かんしんNeutralAdmiration for anyone's behavior or skill; said to an elder's face it can sound condescending. 「偉い」 can also mean high rank.
• Synonym非凡ひぼんWrittenA written/formal word for extraordinary, exceptional people or things; 「偉い」 is the more colloquial choice.
• Synonym偉いWrittenWritten/formal prose, mostly in compounds like 「偉人」; it rarely stands alone. In everyday speech say 「偉い」.
• Related並み外れなみはずれNeutralFar above the average, as in 「並外れた体力」; says nothing about status or character.
• RelatedすごいCasualEveryday colloquial for amazing or impressive; 「偉い」 stresses that someone deserves praise.
• RelatedものすごいNeutralAn intensifier meaning extremely, intensely; works for praise or criticism, but never implies high status.
• Related凄まじいすさまじいNeutralFrightful and violent, typically describing force or a scene; 「偉い」 is about praise.
• Related特別とくべつNeutralSpecial, set apart from the ordinary; stresses distinctiveness where 「偉い」 stresses status or praise.
• Related抜群ばつぐんNeutralOutstanding, standing out from the crowd; inherently comparative, while 「偉い」 is about character or rank.
• Related格別かくべつWrittenWritten/formal prose for especially, exceptionally, as in 「格別の味」; can praise exceptional talent but not status or praiseworthiness.
• RelatedとてつもないNeutralOutrageously, unbelievably large, usually with a tone of exaggerated astonishment; 「偉い」 centers on praise or severity.
• Relatedど偉いどえらいCasualKansai colloquialism for hugely impressive or extreme in degree; stronger than 「偉い」.
• Related桁外れけたはずれNeutralOff the scale, far beyond the norm; stresses exceptional degree and does not imply high status.
• Related人並みはずれたひとなみはずれたNeutralBeyond what ordinary people can do; mostly for ability or physical strength, and does not indicate high status.
• Related途方もないとほうもないNeutralFar beyond common sense or expectation; can mean absurd or, neutrally, enormous in scale (「途方もない金額」); no status or praise.
• Related桁違いけたちがいNeutralIn a different league, a gap of whole orders of magnitude; used of scale or of ability (「桁違いの天才」), not of status.
• Antonym卑しいいやしいNeutralLowly, base, vulgar; the opposite of 「偉い」's high standing and admirable character.

Use 「偉い」 for high standing, praiseworthiness, or a severe situation, as in 「偉い人」 and 「えらいことになった」. For something amazing say 「すごい」, for a splendid performance 「見事」, for admiration 「感心」, and for base or vulgar 「卑しい」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 程度ていどが甚はなはだしい。
2. 程度ていどが甚はなはだしく悪わるい。大変たいへんだ。
3. 尊敬そんけいに値あたいする。立派りっぱだ。
4. 身分みぶんや地位ちいが高たかい。高貴こうきだ。
5. 思おもいがけない。不都合ふつごうである。
6. （中部ちゅうぶ地方ちほう、関西かんさい地方ちほう、中国ちゅうごく地方ちほう、四国しこくの方言ほうげん）しんどい。疲つかれている。くたびれている。大変たいへんそうだ。
7. (えらそう) 分ぶん不相応ふそうおうに態度たいどが大おおきい。