heinousness; ferocity
Rare literary term for extreme cruelty or brutal fierceness. Not used in everyday speech; found mainly in older or formal writing.
The heinousness of the crime made people shudder.
A ferocious light dwelled in his eyes.
Rare kanji spelling for 'heinousness' or 'ferocity'. The character 悍 suggests fierceness or brutality.
Variant spelling using 兇 (ominous, evil). Even rarer than 凶悍.
Composed of 凶 (bad luck, evil) and 悍 (fierce, brutal). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with extreme cruelty.