を顧みず / も顧みず【をかえりみず / もかえりみず】

The expressions を顧みず and も顧みず mean "without considering," "regardless of," or "despite," and are used when someone acts without paying heed to something important – typically a risk, danger, consequence, or the feelings of others. The verb かえりみる顧みる means "to look back at" or "to take into consideration," and the negative form かえりみ顧みず (classical negative conjunctive) conveys that the subject deliberately or boldly disregards that factor.

This is a formal, literary expression commonly found in news reports, written narratives, speeches, and formal contexts. It carries a strong tone and often implies courage, recklessness, or selfishness depending on context.

を顧みず vs. も顧みず

Both forms are largely interchangeable, but there is a subtle difference:

• を顧みず simply states that something is not being considered.
• も顧みず adds the nuance of "not even considering" – emphasizing that the person disregards something that one would normally expect them to consider. It often sounds slightly more emphatic.

Common nouns used with を顧みず / も顧みず

This pattern typically pairs with nouns related to risks, consequences, reputation, or others' feelings:

• きけん危険を顧みず – regardless of danger
• み身の危険も顧みず – without even considering the danger to oneself
• しゅうい周囲の反対を顧みず – despite the opposition of those around one
• たにん他人の迷惑も顧みず – without considering the inconvenience to others
• いのち命を顧みず – without regard for one's life
• せけんてい世間体を顧みず – regardless of public appearances

Nuance

When the subject is acting bravely or selflessly, the expression conveys admiration. When the subject is acting selfishly or recklessly, it conveys criticism.

In this case, the expression carries a negative, critical tone.