Literary or formal word describing extreme cruelty, horror, or atrocity. Rare in everyday speech; more common in written descriptions of war, violence, or severe suffering.
The novel depicts the atrocious reality of war.
News of the horrific incident shocked the world.
Compound of 惨 (miserable, wretched) and 烈 (violent, intense). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with extreme cruelty or horror.