うやうやしい

• 読み: うやうやしい
• ローマ字: uyauyashii
• 発音: /ɯ.ja.ɯ.ja.ɕiː/

意味

Respectful; reverential; deferential. Describes an exaggeratedly humble or formal manner of address or behaviour.

An i-adjective conveying deep outward respect, often to the point of seeming theatrical or obsequious. Formed by reduplication of うや (reverence), reinforcing the intensity of the deference. The adverb form うやうやしく frequently appears in literary depictions of court life, ceremonies, or scenes of deliberate obsequiousness. In modern usage it can carry a slightly ironic tone.

例文

1. 若い社員は部長に対してうやうやしい態度を崩さず、周囲は少し引いていた。
2. 彼はうやうやしく頭を下げたが、その目には反発の色が浮かんでいた。
3. 宮廷ではうやうやしく王に礼をし、声も低く抑えるのが慣例だった。

使い方ガイド

場面: literature, historical settings, ceremony, irony

トーン: deferential

起源と歴史

Formed by reduplicating the archaic noun うや (reverence, awe), which itself derives from Old Japanese. The reduplicated root intensifies the quality, then receives the i-adjective suffix しい.

文化的背景

時代: Classical to Modern

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Educated