あくどい

• Reading: あくどい
• Romaji: akudoi
• Pronunciation: /a.kɯ.do.i/

Meaning

Unscrupulous; crafty; gaudy; garish. Describes either morally questionable cunning or visually excessive gaudiness.

An i-adjective with two related senses: morally, it describes someone calculating and unethical who pursues goals through questionable means; visually, it describes colours or designs that are overwhelmingly loud and garish. At N1 level the moral sense — scheming, unscrupulous — is more commonly tested than the aesthetic sense.

Examples

1. あくどい手口で老人から財産を騙し取った詐欺師が逮捕された。 A con artist who swindled an elderly person out of their savings through unscrupulous tactics was arrested.
2. あの政治家のやり方はどこかあくどい感じがして、好きになれない。 There is something underhanded about that politician's methods that I just cannot warm to.
3. 室内があくどい色使いで塗り潰されており、落ち着かない雰囲気だった。 The room was painted in garish colours throughout, giving it a restless, unsettling atmosphere.

Usage Guide

Context: crime, social criticism, art, design

Tone: critical

Origin & History

Of uncertain etymology; possibly from 飽く (aku — to be excessive, to be satiated) + 強い (intense). The word has carried both visual and moral senses of excess since the Edo period.

Cultural Context

Era: Edo-Modern

Generation: Adult

Social background: General