1

サトルは正義感がとみに強い男ではあるが、それをいいことに利用しようとすりよる輩も存在していた。

The 広辞苑 dictionary lists とみに to have the meaning of しきりに :

しきりに。「老眼が―進んだ」「国運―衰える」

which on of its meanings is "intensely".so, does とみに here means intensely ?

Improve this question

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

First note that しきりに means very often, many times in a short time.

I think your interpret the writer's intention correctly. That is, it means intensely or more simply particularly, notably.

That said, it seems a wrong use of とみに.

I checked several dictionaries and all of them say とみに means 急に、にわかに = suddenly (精選版日本国語大辞典, 大辞泉, I checked 明鏡 and 学研現代国語辞典 as well.)

As mentioned here, for example, using とみに as particularly is a common misuse. (This means you'd never get to the true meaning by dictionary though some dictionaries may mention very common misuses.)

「最近とみに暑くなってきた」ならともかく「今年はとみに暑かった」は誤用といえる。「特に」の意味と間違って使っていると思われるケースが近ごろとみに目につく

I checked 広辞苑 and as you say, it lists しきりに as the second item. It's just a mystery to me. Both examples you wrote should be understood as 急に.

Improve this answer
2
  • 1
    広辞苑 lists しきりに to mean ②ひどく。むやみに。「父母の―恋し雉の声」(芭蕉)。「―気にする」 so maybe from that ?
    – goldenlight
    Nov 17 at 3:11
  • @goldenlight Possibly. But giving a meaning based on 芭蕉 seems odd to me and しきりに気にする sounds definitely very often to me (and it also looks fair to understand 芭蕉's poem as often). I wonder why 広辞苑 gives such a subtly odd meaning. I'd say on this matter 広辞苑 has just an idiosyncratic idea.
    – sundowner
    Nov 17 at 3:20

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .