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Formation: V-dictionary (verbs of change) + 一方だ; 一方である; 一方の + N

Says that a change keeps going in one direction and shows no sign of stopping or reversing. It is often, but not always, an unwelcome trend. It only works with verbs of change such as 増える, 減る, 悪化する, 高まる and 〜くなる, and not with ordinary actions (食べる一方だ is wrong). It is common in news reports and essays about social or economic trends, and 一方である is the formal written version. 〜ばかりだ is very close but more emotional and almost always negative, while 一方だ can describe neutral or positive trends too. 〜つつある simply says a change is in progress, without the 'only one way' emphasis. Do not confuse it with 〜一方（で）, which means 'while, on the other hand'.

Variants: 一方である、一方の、一方だった

Examples

• 少子化で、この町の人口は減る一方だ。
  With the falling birthrate, this town's population just keeps shrinking.
• 物価は上がる一方なのに、給料は変わらない。
  Prices keep going up and up, yet salaries stay the same.
• 円安の影響で、訪日客は増える一方である。
  Because of the weak yen, visitors to Japan keep on increasing.

In real texts 0 occurrence(s)

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