をものともせず

Undaunted by

Level 4Sounds Like womonotomosezu

The pattern をものともせず (or をものともせずに) is used to express that someone performs an action or achieves a goal without being discouraged or hindered by a severe difficulty, such as an injury, disaster, or heavy opposition.

How It Works

1. Meaning and Nuance
をものともせず describes a person (usually a third party) who presses on bravely despite a significant hardship. It highlights the subject's resilience and is almost always used to describe a positive or successful outcome. Because it carries a strong nuance of praise, it is rarely used to describe one's own actions, as doing so would sound boastful.

2. Structure
It attaches directly to Nouns or Nominalized Phrases using の or こと.

  • Noun + をものともせず
  • Verb + の / こと + をものともせず

3. Register
This is a formal and literary expression. You will encounter it in news reports, biographies, documentaries, and formal speeches rather than in casual daily conversation.

4. Key Differences
Unlike 〜をよそに, which implies ignoring people's opinions or expectations (often with a negative nuance), をものともせず focuses on physical or situational obstacles and carries a heroic, positive nuance.

Examples (3)

  1. 彼は周囲の反対をものともせず、自分の信念を貫き通した。

    Undaunted by the opposition of those around him, he stood firm in his convictions.

    Word by Word: He (topic) surroundings' opposition (object) not making a matter, own conviction (object) carried through.

    Here, the 'opposition' is the obstacle that the subject successfully ignores to maintain his beliefs.

  2. その選手は足の怪我をものともせずに、見事優勝を果たした。

    Defying his leg injury, the athlete achieved a brilliant victory.

    Word by Word: That athlete (topic) leg's injury (object) not making a matter, splendid victory (object) accomplished.

    This shows the typical usage of overcoming a physical hardship to reach a successful result.

  3. 救助隊は激しい嵐をものともせず、遭難者の捜索を続けた。

    The rescue team pressed on with the search for the victims, undeterred by the violent storm.

    Word by Word: Rescue team (topic) violent storm (object) not making a matter, victims' search (object) continued.

    In this formal context, the rescue team is praised for their bravery against a natural disaster.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the pattern for your own actions.

    私は雨をものともせず、コンビニへ行った。
    彼は雨をものともせず、練習を続けた。

    Because this pattern implies heroic admiration, using it for yourself (especially for trivial tasks like going to a convenience store) sounds unnaturally dramatic or arrogant.

  • Using it for situations with a negative outcome.

    反対をものともせず挑戦したが、失敗した。
    反対をものともせず挑戦し、ついに成功させた。

    The second part of the sentence should generally describe a successful feat or the continuation of a strong action, not a failure.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

をものともせずLevel 4Undaunted by

Learn This First

The pattern 'をものともせず' is a formal expression used to describe someone pressing on despite a major obstacle. To understand it, learners need to recognize the object marker 'を', the use of 'もの' to nominalize the obstacle as a 'matter' or 'thing', and the negative continuative 'せず' (the 'suru' version of 'zu'), which indicates doing something 'without' letting the obstacle stop them.

Words in This Pattern

物ともせず