〜んばかり
Formation
N1FormalWritten
Variations
〜んばかりに
〜んばかりの
Meaning
As if to / so much so that it seems like / on the verge of. Almost to the point of ~.
Examples
風船は今にも破裂せんばかりだ。
The balloon looks as if it's about to burst at any moment.
あの犬は今にも飛びかからんばかりでした。
That dog looked as if it was about to pounce at any moment.
彼女は今にも泣かんばかりの表情をしていた。
She had an expression as if she was about to cry any moment.
観客は立ち上がらんばかりに拍手をした。
The audience applauded so much they were almost standing up.
彼は土下座せんばかりに謝った。
He apologized so much he was practically bowing to the floor.