Meaning
「べくもない」 means "cannot possibly do..." or "there is no way to...," expressing a sense of complete impossibility. This is a fairly stiff, written expression.
Commonly paired with these verbs:
- 疑うべくもない → beyond doubt
- 比べるべくもない → incomparable
- 望むべくもない → beyond one's hopes
- 知るべくもない → impossible to know
Formation
| Part of speech | Formation |
|---|---|
| Verb (dictionary form) | べくもない |
| する | すべくもない |
Examples
-
彼がこのような偉大な賞を手に入れたこと、それは望むべくもない人生の幸運であった。
That he received such a great award was a stroke of fortune in life that one could not have hoped for. -
どんな事情があったのかは知らないけれど、彼が万引きをしたのは、疑うべくもない事実である。
I don't know the circumstances, but the fact that he shoplifted is beyond doubt. -
20年前の医療事情は現代と比べるべくもない。
The medical situation 20 years ago is incomparable to the present day.
Summary
- 「〜べくもない」 expresses that something is utterly impossible
- Commonly paired with 「疑う」「比べる」「望む」「知る」
- A stiff, literary expression not used in casual speech