だめ・駄目dame[2]odaka (tail-high)

1. na-adjective, nounno good; not serving its purpose; useless; broken
   去年きょねんはジョギングシューズを２足そく駄目だめにした。↗

   I wore out two pairs of jogging shoes last year.
2. na-adjective, nounhopeless; wasted; in vain; purposeless
   もうだめだ。↗

   It's all over.
3. na-adjective, nouncannot; must not; not allowed
   夜よる遅おそくまで起おきていては駄目だめだよ。↗

   Don't sit up late at night.
4. noun, goneutral point; intersection owned by neither player at the end of a game
5. interjectionno!; stop!

• Synonym無意味むいみNeutralMeans 'meaningless' — lacking point or value, as in 「無意味な議論」. Unlike 「駄目」, it never covers prohibition or 'not allowed'.
• Synonym無益むえきWrittenMeans 'of no benefit', as in 「無益な争い」. A written/formal word; 「駄目」 is the everyday choice.
• Synonym無理むりNeutralCovers overdoing it, 'can't be done' or 'unreasonable', as in 「無理しないで」. 「駄目」 additionally covers prohibition and 'not allowed'.
• Synonym不可能ふかのうNeutralSays something cannot be achieved under the conditions — more objective and formal in tone than 「駄目」.
• Synonym無用むようWrittenMeans 'unneeded' or 'no need', and can also prohibit, as in 「天地無用」「心配無用」. Written/formal prose.
• Synonym不能ふのうWrittenMeans 'unable' or 'incapable' of doing something, as in 「再起不能」. Written/formal; 「駄目」 is the everyday word.
• SynonymくだらないCasualColloquial: absurd and worthless with a dismissive, contemptuous edge, as in 「くだらない話」 — stresses low-quality content.
• Related無駄むだNeutralStresses wasted effort or waste, as in 「無駄遣い」; the go-to word for 'a waste' or 'in vain'.
• RelatedつまらないCasualColloquial: 'boring' or 'not worth a mention' — stresses that something is dull and uninteresting.
• Related馬鹿らしいばからしいCasualColloquial: silly and not worth taking seriously — the feeling that something is 'not worth the trouble'.
• RelatedありえないCasualColloquial: 'impossible' or 'unbelievable'; young people often use it to express surprise.
• Related甲斐無いかいないWrittenMeans effort was in vain or had no effect, as in 「甲斐無い努力」. Written/formal prose.
• Related絶望的ぜつぼうてきWrittenMeans 'hopeless' — all hope is gone, as in 「絶望的な状況」. Written/formal prose with a heavy, grave tone.
• RelatedばかばかしいCasualColloquial: absurd to the extreme; stronger than 「馬鹿らしい」.
• Related非現実的ひげんじつてきWrittenMeans 'unrealistic' — detached from reality or impractical, as in 「非現実的な計画」. Written/formal prose.
• Antonym有効ゆうこうNeutralAntonym to the 'ineffective' sense of 「駄目」: means valid or effective, that something actually works.
• Antonym良いよいNeutralAntonym of 「駄目」: 'good' or 'OK/allowed' — a positive judgement or giving permission.

For 'no good', 'useless' or 'not allowed', 「駄目」 is the default. Use 「無理」 or 「不可能」 for 'impossible', 「無駄」 for wasted effort, 「無意味」 for 'meaningless', and 「馬鹿らしい」 for 'absurd'. 'Effective' is 「有効」; 'good/OK' is 「良い」.

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

1. 終局しゅうきょく時じに、どちらの陣地じんちでもない領域りょういき。
2. 改善かいぜんすべき点てんの指摘してき。
3. うまくいかないこと。
4. よくない。程度ていどが低ひくい。
5. うまくいかない。できない。
6. 見込みこみがない。絶望的ぜつぼうてきだ。
7. 禁止きんしされている。応おうじられない。
8. 使い物つかいものにならない。役やくに立たたない。壊こわれた。
9. (条件じょうけん節せつのあとで) ならない。いけない。
10. 名詞めいしにつくことで否定的ひていてきな意味合いみあいにする。