すごい・凄いsugoi[2]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. i-adjectiveterrible; dreadful
   そんなすごい目めで睨み付にらみつけないでください。↗

   Don't look so fiercely at me.
2. i-adjectiveamazing (e.g. of strength); great (e.g. of skills); wonderful; terrific
   今いますごい名案めいあんがうかんだぞ。↗

   I've just come up with a great idea.
3. i-adjectiveto a great extent; vast (in numbers)
   マドンナのコンサートはすごい数かずの客きゃくを集あつめた。↗

   Madonna's concert drew a large audience.
4. adverbawfully; very; immensely

• Synonym凄まじいすさまじいWrittenWritten/formal prose. Degree so extreme it frightens or shocks, as in 「すさまじい勢い」; mostly negative or stunning. 「すごい」 can be praise or criticism.
• SynonymものすごいNeutralStronger than 「すごい」: very, extremely, as in 「ものすごい人」; can also mean frightening.
• Synonym恐ろしいおそろしいNeutralFrightening; centers on fear. 「すごい」 is mostly admiration or emphasis on degree.
• Synonym強いつよいNeutralSimply strong; focuses on strength itself, without any tone of amazement or fear.
• Synonym強烈きょうれつNeutralIntense stimuli or effects, as in 「強烈な印象」; stresses impact. 「すごい」 stresses subjective amazement.
• Synonym絶大ぜつだいWrittenWritten/formal prose. Immense, as in 「絶大な人気」; mostly positive. 「すごい」 is more colloquial and much broader in use.
• SynonymおっかないCasualColloquial for scary or frightening, as in 「おっかない顔」. 「すごい」 is more about admiration or degree.
• Related激しいはげしいNeutralViolent, intense, as in 「激しい雨」; focuses on force or intensity. 「すごい」 focuses on an astonishing degree.
• Related甚だしいはなはだしいWrittenWritten/formal prose. Extreme to a serious degree, mostly negative, as in 「甚だしい誤解」. 「すごい」 can be positive or negative.
• RelatedひどいNeutralTerrible or cruel; carries a negative judgement. 「すごい」 can be praise or criticism.
• Related猛烈もうれつNeutralExtremely fierce in force or degree, as in 「猛烈な暑さ」「猛烈な勢い」. 「すごい」 is the more colloquial choice.
• RelatedきついCasualColloquial. Harsh, tough or intense, as in 「きつい仕事」「きつい性格」; stresses that something wears you out.
• Related甚大じんだいWrittenWritten/formal prose. Enormous losses or impact, as in 「甚大な被害」; mostly negative. 「すごい」 can be positive or negative.
• Related深刻しんこくNeutralSerious or grave, as in 「深刻な問題」; focuses on how grave a situation is. 「すごい」 mostly expresses amazement.
• Related大変たいへんNeutralVery, extremely; also awful or a real mess, as in 「大変だ」. 「すごい」 leans toward admiration or degree.
• Related重大じゅうだいWrittenWritten/formal prose. Grave or important, as in 「重大な事故」; stresses significance. 「すごい」 stresses astonishing degree.
• Related痛烈つうれつWrittenWritten/formal prose. Scathing criticism or blows, as in 「痛烈な批判」; narrow range of use. 「すごい」 is far more flexible.
• Related激烈げきれつWrittenWritten/formal prose. Fierce competition or fighting, as in 「激烈な競争」. 「すごい」 is not limited to confrontations.
• RelatedおぞましいWrittenWritten/formal prose. Hair-raising and repulsive, as in 「おぞましい事件」; always negative, while 「すごい」 can express praise.
• Relatedもの恐ろしいものおそろしいCasualColloquial. Vaguely frightening — a fear you can't quite explain; never praise. 「すごい」 mostly expresses high degree.
• RelatedおどろおどろしいWrittenWritten/formal prose. Eerie and sinister, or exaggerated and showy; often describes an atmosphere. No positive sense, unlike 「すごい」.
• RelatedむごいWrittenWritten/formal prose. Cruel and tragic, hard to watch, as in 「むごい仕打ち」. 「すごい」 carries no sense of cruelty.
• Related凄惨せいさんWrittenWritten/formal prose. Ghastly and gruesome; typical of accidents or war. 「すごい」 is not limited to horrific scenes.
• RelatedどぎついCasualColloquial. Excessively intense or garish, as in 「どぎつい色」; has an unpleasant edge. 「すごい」 can express admiration.
• RelatedむごたらしいWrittenWritten/formal prose. Cruel to a horrific degree, even more so than 「むごい」. 「すごい」 has no sense of cruelty.
• Related苛烈かれつWrittenWritten/formal prose. So harsh and fierce it torments, as in 「苛烈な戦い」.
• Antonym凡庸ぼんようWrittenAntonym of the excellence sense of 「すごい」: mediocre and ordinary, with nothing outstanding.
• AntonymつたないWrittenAntonym of the excellence sense of 「すごい」: clumsy, unskillful; also used as a humble expression.

In speech, 「すごい」 is the default for praise or stressing degree. Reach for 「ものすごい」 when you want even stronger emphasis, 「恐ろしい」 for frightening things, 「激しい」 for violent force, and 「深刻」 for serious situations. Most other words here are written/formal prose or limited to set collocations.

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

1. ぞっとするほど恐おそろしい。
2. ぞっとするほど素晴すばらしい。
3. 能力のうりょくが並み外なみはずれている。
4. すごく。