GRAMMAR
〜に足りない
to not be worthy
to lack
Explanation
NOTE
〜に足りない means not worthy of — something does not deserve the action that follows.
そんな話は信じるに足りない。
Such a story is not worth believing.
NOTE
It is formal and literary. It often dismisses something as too trivial to bother with.
彼の意見は考えるに足りない。
His opinion is not worth considering.
The subject is judged too unimportant to deserve the action.
NOTE
Attach に足りない to a verb in dictionary form. The result is a negative judgment of worth.
STRUCTURE
V辞
に足りないその失敗は気に留めるに足りない。
Sono shippai wa ki ni tomeru ni tarinai.
That failure is not worth worrying about.
この程度の問題は恐れるに足りない。
Kono teido no mondai wa osoreru ni tarinai.
A problem of this level is not worth fearing.
あんな噂は取り上げるに足りない。
Anna uwasa wa toriageru ni tarinai.
Such a rumor is not worth bringing up.
そんな些細なことは、気に留めるに足りない。
Sonna sasai na koto wa, ki ni tomeru ni tarinai.
Such trivial things are not worth worrying about.
あの映画は、わざわざ劇場へ見に行くに足りない。
Ano eiga wa, wazawaza gekijō e mi ni iku ni tarinai.
That movie is not worth going all the way to the theater to see.
その事件は、議論するに足りない問題だ。
Sono jiken wa, giron suru ni tarinai mondai da.
That incident is a problem that is not worth discussing.
Practice exercises
1
そんな話は信じるに足りない。
Such a story is not worth believing.
Answer
に足りない
2
彼の意見は考えるに足りない。
His opinion is not worth considering.
Answer
に足りない
3
この程度の失敗は恐れるに足りない。
A failure of this level is not worth fearing.
Answer
に足りない
4
内容の薄いその記事は、読むに足りない。
That article with thin content is not worth reading.
Answer
に足りない
5
成果の見込めないその研究は、続行するに足りない。
That research, with no prospect of results, is not worth continuing.
Answer
に足りない
6
彼の言い訳は信じるに足りないどころか、怒りすら覚える。
His excuse is so far from worth believing that it even makes me angry.
Answer
に足りない
7
この程度の成果では、成功と呼ぶに足りない。
Results of this level are not worthy of being called a success.
Answer
に足りない
8
そんな取るに足らない噂は、気に留めるに足りない。
Such a trivial rumor is not worth taking to heart.
Answer
に足りない