〜きわまりない (kiwamari nai)

JLPT N1 Utterly ~ — the extreme.

Meaning

“Extremely ~ / utterly ~.” The highest degree of a (usually negative) quality. Formal and written.

Formation

な-adj (stem) + きわまりない / きわまる

Examples

会議中に居眠りするとは、失礼きわまりない。

Kaigi-chū ni inemuri suru to wa, shitsurei kiwamari nai. — Dozing off during a meeting is the height of rudeness.

彼の態度は失礼きわまるものだった。

Kare no taido wa shitsurei kiwamaru mono datta. — His attitude was extremely rude.

一人での夜道は危険きわまりない。

Hitori de no yomichi wa kiken kiwamari nai. — Walking alone on a dark road at night is extremely dangerous.

How it works

It expresses that a quality has reached its absolute limit, with strong emotion. Despite the negative-looking ない, きわまりない and きわまる mean the same thing here.

It attaches to emotional/evaluative na-adjectives (失礼, 危険, 遺憾, 不愉快) and is stiff, literary language.

Compared with similar expressions

• 〜きわまりない — “utterly ~,” extreme degree, formal/written

• 〜すぎる — “too ~,” everyday, often mild

• この上ない — “the utmost,” highest degree (can be positive)

Common mistakes

• Attach to the na-adjective stem: 危険きわまりない (not 危険なきわまりない).

• きわまりない is not a negative — it means the same as きわまる (extreme).

Related grammar

• この上ない — the utmost

• 〜の極み — the height of ~

• 〜てたまらない — unbearably ~