もったいない

¶何て～

What a waste!

勿体ない
勿体無い
too good
more than one deserves
wasteful
sacrilegious
unworthy of

* * *

もったいない

¶何て～

What a waste!

* * *

もったいない

1 〔おそれ多い〕 impious; irreverent; profane; sacrilegious.

●もったいなくも graciously

・もったいなくも水戸のご老侯であるぞよ. This is no less a personage than the venerable Lord of Mito.

・もったいなくも陛下からお言葉を賜った. I felt deeply awed at having been spoken to by the Emperor. | The Emperor deigned to address me.

●そんなことをしては神仏に対してもったいない. It would be a sacrilege [sin against Heaven] to do a thing like that.

・今の生活に満足できないなんて言ったらもったいない. It would be ungrateful of you to say that you are not happy with your lot.

・あの人にそんな仕事をさせてはもったいない. He is worthy of a better job.

2 〔過分である〕 be more than one deserves; be too good 《for…》; be unworthy 《of…》.

●このズボンは普段着にはもったいない. These trousers are too good for everyday wear.

・この会社で彼女はもったいないくらい優遇されている. This company pays her a better salary than she deserves.

・おほめのお言葉をいただきもったいないと存じます. I think I hardly deserve your praise [your praise is too high for me].

・そんなにご親切にしていただいてはもったいない. I am unworthy of your kindness.

・彼にはもったいないほどの奥さんだ. His wife is too good for him.

3 〔無駄な･惜しい〕 wasteful; wasting.

●まあもったいない. What a waste!

・この靴はまだはける. もったいなくて捨てられない. These shoes are still wearable. It's a waste to throw them away.

・必要がないものに金を使うのはもったいない. Spending money on things that you don't need is just like throwing it away.

・そんなに紙を何枚も使ってはもったいない. It is a sheer waste [simply a waste, bad economy] to use so many sheets of paper.

・時間がもったいない, すぐに仕事に取りかかりましょう. Time is precious. Let's get down to work at once.

もったいながる 〔おそれ多いと思う〕 feel sth is above one's station; 〔惜しいと思う〕 think sth too good to throw away [dispose of, get rid of]; do not have the courage to throw away.

●母はもったいながって包装紙でもひもでも何でも取っておく. My mother keeps all kinds of wrapping paper and piece of string as she thinks it is too wasteful to throw them away.

・兄は先生にいただいた万年筆をもったいながってまだ使っていない. My brother thinks that the fountain pen his teacher gave him is too precious for everyday use.

もったいなげ 〔ありがたそう; 惜しそう〕

●彼女は秘蔵の花瓶をもったいなげに運んできた. She brought to me her treasured vase as if it were something highly precious.

・彼は売れ残って処分される弁当をもったいなげに見ていた. He seemed to think it a terrible waste when he saw leftover box lunches being thrown away.

もったいなさ 〔おそれ多いこと〕 feeling that sth is above one's station; 〔惜しいこと〕 wastefulness.

●食べ物を捨てることに現代人はもったいなさを感じなくなったのだろうか. Have people of the modern day lost the sense of wastefulness regarding throwing food away?