Recklessly Foolish, Yet Worth Remembering 極まりない・に足る・の極み

極まりない and 極まる intensify an evaluation to “extremely” or “utterly,” often in formal criticism. の極み and の至り name the height of an emotion or state. に足る and に恥じない describe something worthy of attention or reputation; に足りない says it does not merit something. Adj限りだ expresses an intense feeling, while にもほどがある criticizes something as going too far. に難くない says something is easy to imagine or infer. に堪えない expresses an inability to bear something, or in set expressions an overwhelming feeling. These are strong evaluations, so the surrounding tone matters.

極まりない follows a な-adjective stem or noun to make a strong formal judgment. 極まる has a similar meaning and can follow a noun or adjective stem. It is emphatic and often appears in criticism or commentary.

に足る means “worthy of” or “sufficient to merit,” and commonly appears with 信頼, 評価, or 注目. に足りない means “not worth” or “not enough to merit.” の極み and の至り are set, elevated ways to express the height of a feeling, as in 感激の極み or 光栄の至り.

にもほどがある calls out excess, often with irritation. Adj限りだ expresses a strong feeling as the speaker’s utmost state. に恥じない means “worthy of” a name or reputation, as in 名に恥じない働き, “work worthy of the name.”

Vocabulary