N2 Results, Change, and Progress

~ばかりだ: meaning, usage and examples

~ばかりだ means: just keeps getting (worse) / only continues to... (bad trend).

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 雨あめは強つよくなるばかりだった。

   The rain just kept getting heavier.

2. 失敗しっぱいは増ふえるばかりだ。

   Failures just keep increasing.

3. 薬くすりを飲のんでも、痛いたみはひどくなるばかりだ。

   Even with medicine, the pain just keeps getting worse.

4. 話はなし合あいが進すすまず、両国りょうこくの関係かんけいは悪化あっかするばかりです。

   With no progress in the talks, relations between the two countries just keep getting worse.

When to use it

Says that a situation keeps changing in a bad direction and only gets worse. It is used with verbs of change, such as 悪わるくなる, ひどくなる, 増ふえる and 悪化あっかする. For example, 痛いたみはひどくなるばかりだ means "the pain just keeps getting worse." It differs from Noun + ばかり, which means "nothing but."

Nuance

Almost always a negative trend, said with worry, frustration or helplessness. Used in speech and writing. It needs a verb of change in the dictionary form; a noun before ばかりだ gives the different meaning "nothing but."

Compare

一方いっぽうだ shows a one-way trend and can be neutral: 利用りよう者しゃは増ふえる一方いっぽうだ. ばかりだ is more emotional and almost always bad: 状況じょうきょうは悪化あっかするばかりだ. Noun + ばかり means "only": 甘あまい物ものばかり食たべる. た-form + ばかり means "just did": 食たべたばかりだ.

Tip: Check the form before ばかり: dictionary form = keeps getting worse, た-form = just did, noun = nothing but.