諦める|あきらめるakirameru[4]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Definitions
- ichidan verb, transitive verbto give up; to abandon (hope, plans); to resign oneself (to)
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 諦める（あきらめる） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 諦めます（あきらめます） |
| Negative (nai) | 諦めない（あきらめない） |
| polite (masen) | 諦めません（あきらめません） |
| classical zu / nu | 諦めず・諦めぬ（あきらめず・あきらめぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 諦めた（あきらめた） |
| polite (mashita) | 諦めました（あきらめました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 諦めなかった（あきらめなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 諦めませんでした（あきらめませんでした） |
| Te form | 諦めて（あきらめて） |
| Potential | 諦められる（あきらめられる） |
| Passive | 諦められる（あきらめられる） |
| Causative | 諦めさせる（あきらめさせる） |
| Causative passive | 諦めさせられる（あきらめさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 諦めれば（あきらめれば） |
| tara | 諦めたら（あきらめたら） |
| Volitional | 諦めよう（あきらめよう） |
| polite (mashou) | 諦めましょう（あきらめましょう） |
| Imperative | 諦めろ（あきらめろ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- SynonymギブアップCasualColloquial loanword for quitting or conceding partway through; especially common in sports and games, though also said of hard tasks. 諦める is more general.
- Synonym断念だんねんWrittenWritten/formal prose: deliberately and firmly abandoning a plan, as in 「進学を断念する」; 諦める is more colloquial and carries a sense of resignation.
- Related降参こうさんNeutralNeutral. Means admitting defeat or surrendering, also being stumped by a problem, as in 「この問題には降参だ」; 諦める is about abandoning hope or plans.
- Related観念かんねんNeutralNeutral. Basically means an idea or notion; as a verb it means resigning yourself or accepting fate, as in 「観念しろ」; 諦める is giving up.
- RelatedまいるNeutralNeutral. Originally humble language for 「行く」「来る」; in the sense of admitting defeat, colloquial 「参った」. Overlaps with 諦める only in that sense.
- Related絶念ぜつねんWrittenWritten/formal prose and rare: abandoning hope or a plan. In everyday speech use 諦める.
- Antonym粘るねばるNeutralNeutral antonym: opposite of 諦める in persisting — it means holding out and seeing things through rather than giving up easily.
- Antonym挑むいどむNeutralNeutral antonym: opposite of 諦める in attitude — it means actively taking on a difficulty or an opponent.
- Antonym執着するNeutralNeutral antonym: opposite of 諦める in whether to let go — it means clinging to something and refusing to release it.
For everyday giving up of hope or plans, use 「諦める」. In written prose for a firm, deliberate decision to abandon something, use 「断念」. For conceding defeat, use 「降参」 or the colloquial 「ギブアップ」. The antonyms express the opposite stance: 「粘る」 for holding out, 「挑む」 for taking on a challenge, 「執着する」 for refusing to let go.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
