おびただしい・夥しいobitadashii[5]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. i-adjectivelarge number; innumerable; great many; immense; vast; abundant
   子供こどもに少すこし愛情あいじょうを注そそいで見み給たまえ、すると君きみにおびただしい愛情あいじょうが戻もどってくる。↗

   Give a little love to a child, and you get a great deal back.

• 1.
  Synonym膨大ぼうだいNeutralRefers to sheer scale or bulk, as in 「膨大な資料」; 「夥しい」 stresses an astonishing number of things and leans written/formal.
• 2.
  Synonym数え切れないかぞえきれないNeutralMeans too many to count, as in 「数え切れないほどの星」; only for countable things, while 「夥しい」 also covers things like blood.
• 3.
  Synonym莫大ばくだいNeutralFor huge amounts, chiefly money and property, as in 「莫大な費用」; 「夥しい」 describes large numbers of things.
• 4.
  Synonym多いおおいNeutralThe all-purpose word for 'many', as in 「人が多い」; plain and neutral, with none of 「夥しい」's astonishment.
• 5.
  Synonym数知れないかずしれないWrittenWritten/formal; countless beyond knowing, as in 「数知れない犠牲」; lacks the sense of exceeding bounds that 「夥しい」 carries.
• 6.
  Related計り知れないはかりしれないWrittenWritten/formal; describes something too great to fathom, as in 「計り知れない影響」 — the focus is on degree rather than on number.
• 7.
  RelatedものすごいCasualThe everyday colloquial favorite for something staggering, as in 「ものすごい人」; covers any degree, not just number.
• 8.
  Related凄まじいすさまじいNeutralDescribes an extraordinary degree, as in 「凄まじい勢い」; it can feel terrifying or simply express the staggering, and is not tied to number.
• 9.
  Related甚だしいはなはだしいWrittenWritten/formal; extreme to a fault and mostly negative, as in 「誤解も甚だしい」— about degree, where 「夥しい」 is about number.
• 10.
  Related巨大きょだいNeutralPhysically huge, as in 「巨大な岩」; about size, not number.
• 11.
  Related甚大じんだいWrittenWritten/formal; grave in extent, as in 「甚大な被害」— typical of disaster damage and losses.
• 12.
  Related絶大ぜつだいWrittenWritten/formal; immense, as in 「絶大な人気」— mostly with positive things like popularity, trust, or power.
• 13.
  Related数多いかずおおいNeutralSimply numerous, as in 「数多い作品」; plain in tone, without the astonishment or negative tinge of 「夥しい」.
• 14.
  RelatedとてつもないCasualColloquial; absurdly or unbelievably big, as in 「とてつもない計画」— stresses defying common sense.
• 15.
  RelatedぎょうさんCasualA dialect word (Kansai and nearby) for 'lots', as in 「ぎょうさんある」; can also imply exaggeration or a fuss over something small.
• 16.
  AntonymわずかNeutralAntonym: a mere trace or tiny amount, as in 「わずかな差」— the opposite of 「夥しい」's vast numbers.
• 17.
  Antonym少ないすくないNeutralAntonym: few or small in number, as in 「数が少ない」; a common everyday word, opposite of 「夥しい」.

Use 「夥しい」 for an astonishingly large number, often negative as in 「夥しい血」; it leans written. For countable things say 「数え切れない」, for sheer bulk 「膨大」, for money 「莫大」. 「多い」 is the plain everyday 'many'; 「物凄い」 and 「途轍もない」 are colloquial degree words; 「計り知れない」 and 「甚だしい」 stress degree; 「巨大」 is physical size; 「絶大」 suits positive things; 「甚大」 grave damage. Antonyms: 「僅か」, 「少ない」.

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

1. （数量すうりょう）非常ひじょうに多おおい様子ようす。
2. 程度ていどを超こえている、甚はなはだしい。