極刑|きょっけいkyokkei[0]heiban (flat)

1. nouncapital punishment; death penalty; maximum penalty; ultimate punishment

• Synonym死刑しけいNeutralThe official legal term for the death penalty, stating the killing outright; 「極刑」 is a more euphemistic, solemn way to say it.
• Related処刑しょけいNeutralExecuting the death penalty; stresses the act of carrying out the sentence, common in everyday and historical contexts.
• Related刑戮けいりくWrittenWritten/formal prose, archaic and rare; covers inflicting punishment or death, focusing on the act of punishing itself.
• Related処刑することNeutralCarrying out a punishment; stresses the act of execution, unlike 「極刑」, which names a type of penalty.
• Antonym減刑げんけいWrittenWritten/formal prose for reducing a penalty; the direction runs opposite to 「極刑」, which imposes the heaviest punishment.
• Antonym免刑WrittenWritten/formal prose for exempting someone from punishment; the exact opposite of 「極刑」, the heaviest penalty.

Use 「極刑」 for the heaviest punishment, i.e. death, as in 「極刑に処す」「極刑を望む」. Use 「死刑」 as the legal term; 「処刑」 for carrying out an execution. 「刑戮」 is archaic written style; 「減刑」「免刑」 go the opposite way.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 極きわめて重おもい刑罰けいばつ。死刑しけい。