を禁じ得ない
cannot help but feel; cannot suppress; cannot refrain from (an emotion)
N1
Meaning
cannot help but feel; cannot suppress; cannot refrain from (an emotion)
Formation
Noun + を禁じ得ない
Explanation
を禁じ得ない is used to express that a certain emotion arises naturally and cannot be suppressed, no matter how hard one tries.
Key characteristics:
Used only for emotions or feelings
The feeling is involuntary
The speaker is not choosing to feel it—it happens naturally
Because of its nuance, this grammar is mainly used in formal or written Japanese, such as:
news articles
editorials
essays