五月蠅い

Japanese

For pronunciation and definitions of 五月蠅い – see the following entry.

[adjective] [late 900s – Kamakura period] overwhelmingly thorough (often in a positive way); excessive, repetitive (in a negative way)

[adjective] [from early 900s] (by extension from the "thorough" sense) so thoroughly knowledgeable and particular about something as to be annoying to others: picky, nitpicking, fussy

[adjective] [from late 900s] pushy, bossy, overly particular and demanding

[adjective] [early 1000s – ???] excellent of technique (particularly for a performance)

[adjective] [late 1100s – ???] extremely strained, faked, insincere, affected

[adjective] [from early 1100s] oppressive and annoying in a surrounding and overwhelming way

[adjective] noisy, loud

[adjective] [from early 1900s] troublesome, bothersome, irksome (usually in reference to having to do something)

[adjective] [from early 1600s] dirty, messy, causing a bad feeling

Alternative spellings
煩い, 五月蝿い

(This term, 五月蠅い, is the kyūjitai of an alternative spelling (五月蝿い) of the above term.)