極悪|ごくあくgokuaku[0]heiban (flat)

1. na-adjective, no-adjectiveheinous

• Synonym凶悪きょうあくNeutralBrutal and vicious, stressing readiness to kill or injure; describes criminals and crimes, as in 「凶悪犯罪」. More common than 「極悪」.
• Synonym邪悪じゃあくWrittenWritten. Wickedness of the heart—corrupt, evil thoughts—with religious or fantasy overtones; more abstract than 「極悪」.
• Synonym非道ひどうWrittenWritten. Going against reason and human feeling; pairs with 「極悪」 in 「極悪非道」, stressing heartless unreasonableness.
• SynonymひどいCasualSame word as 「惨い」 above; also written 「酷い」 with the reading 「むごい」. 「酷い」 alone is usually read 「ひどい」 and means excessive or awful.
• Synonym邪よこしまWrittenWritten. Warped, wicked thoughts and desires, as in 「邪な考え」. 「極悪」 judges conduct as utterly evil.
• Synonym極道ごくどうWrittenWritten. A person who does evil or lives in debauchery; also means the underworld or organized crime. Mostly about people.
• Synonym罪深いつみぶかいWrittenWritten. Deeply sinful, heavy with guilt; also said half-jokingly of an irresistibly charming person. 「極悪」 stresses vicious conduct.
• Synonym酷悪こくあくWrittenWritten and rare, almost only in prose. Cold-hearted and ruthless; more obscure than 「極悪」.
• Synonym悪逆あくぎゃくWrittenWritten and old-fashioned. Great evil against human morals; in ancient law it meant killing one's parents. Older than 「極悪」.
• Synonym無道むどうWrittenWritten. Conduct that defies reason and morality; stresses unreasonableness more than 「極悪」's sheer evil.
• Related残忍ざんにんNeutralCruel, stressing doing heartless things without qualms; about vicious methods and more concrete than 「極悪」.
• Related残虐ざんぎゃくWrittenWritten. Savage cruelty toward people or animals, as in 「残虐な行為」; points to the atrocity itself.
• Related残酷ざんこくNeutralCommon in daily use. Heartless torment, and also said of harsh reality; broader in range than 「極悪」.
• Related無残むざんWrittenWritten. A pitiful, ghastly end or scene, as in 「見るも無残」; focuses on the miserable outcome.
• Related無情むじょうWrittenWritten. Heartless, lacking sympathy, as in 「無情な雨」; leans toward cold indifference rather than 「極悪」's evil.
• Related暴虐ぼうぎゃくWrittenWritten. Tyrannical brutality by rulers or individuals alike, as in 「暴虐の限り」 or 「暴虐な行為」.
• Related悪辣あくらつWrittenWritten. Crafty and vicious, stressing underhanded, mean methods, as in 「悪辣な手口」; points to the way someone acts rather than their nature.
• Related無慈悲むじひWrittenWritten. Merciless, stressing total lack of compassion; cold-heartedness rather than evildoing, so its focus differs from 「極悪」.
• RelatedむごいCasualColloquial. Covers cruel treatment or scenes too horrible to watch; leans on the feeling of horror more than 「極悪」.
• Related非人道的ひじんどうてきWrittenWritten. Inhumane, stressing violation of humanitarian principles; often judges acts of war—an evaluative label rather than 「極悪」.
• RelatedあくどいCasualColloquial. Methods or tricks that are viciously over the line; also gaudy colors or rich flavors. 「極悪」 judges a person or act as utterly evil.
• RelatedむごたらしいCasualColloquial. So cruel you cannot bear to watch; stronger than 「惨い」.
• Antonym善良ぜんりょうNeutralAntonym: good-natured and upright, the opposite of 「極悪」's utter wickedness.
• Antonym極善FormalFormal antonym: supreme goodness, the exact opposite of 「極悪」's extreme evil.

For utterly evil, use 「極悪」, often as 「極悪人」 or 「極悪非道」. For brutal crimes and criminals use 「凶悪」; for cruel or underhanded methods use 「残忍」 or 「悪辣」. The opposite is 「善良」.

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

1. 極きわめて悪わるく、悪逆あくぎゃくであること。