This shows a very strong feeling. It means something is 'extremely' or 'the most' that way.
い-Adjective + 限りだPrimary
な-Adjective + な + 限りだ
Noun + の + 限りだ
This shows a very strong feeling. It means something is 'extremely' or 'the most' that way.
長年の夢だった自分の店が持てて、嬉しい限りです。
I'm overjoyed that I was able to open my own shop, which has been a long-held dream.
素晴らしい演奏だっただけに、コンクールで落選したのは残念な限りでした。
It was the utmost shame that they were not selected in the competition, especially because it was such a wonderful performance.
皆様からの温かいご支援には感謝の限りですが、目標達成にはまだ遠い状況です。
While I am extremely grateful for everyone's warm support, we are still far from achieving our goal.
たった一人で知らない土地を旅するのは、心細い限りだった。
Traveling alone through an unknown land was an extremely lonely and helpless experience.
彼の若さでの成功には、羨ましい限りだ。
I am utterly envious of his success at such a young age.
This phrase is like wearing your best suit. It is very formal. You use it in writing. You might use it in a letter or a speech. For talking with friends, use simpler words.
This is different from other phrases. 〜極まりない (kiwamarinai) describes something extreme that everyone can see. 〜の至り (no itari) is very formal. You use it for things like 'highest honor'.
Watch out: Do not try to make "〜限りだ" negative. For example, "嬉しくない限りだ" sounds strange. "〜限りだ" already shows a very strong feeling. This feeling can be good or bad. If you want to show the opposite feeling, use a different word. Do not just add "ない" to the first word.
Don't use this when you talk about someone else's feelings directly. For example, don't say "He is extremely happy." This pattern is for your own strong feelings. You are almost always talking about yourself. You can say "I am extremely happy." You can also say what someone else said. Or you can guess how they feel.
More formal alternatives(1)
Track your mastery
Kumi's KMT system tracks your mastery across kanji, vocabulary, grammar, and reading. Create a free account to use it on 220,000+ concepts.