tyrannical and atrocious; violent and cruel
A strong yojijukugo describing extreme cruelty and tyranny, often used for rulers, regimes, or brutal acts.
The people could not endure the king's tyrannical and atrocious behavior.
歴史には暴虐非道の限りを尽くした独裁者の記録が残っている。
History records dictators who committed every kind of violent cruelty.
残忍 is a general adjective for 'cruel' or 'brutal', while 暴虐非道 is a stronger, more literary yojijukugo emphasizing tyranny and atrocity.
非道 means 'inhuman' or 'wicked', but 暴虐非道 adds the nuance of violent oppression.
A yojijukugo composed of 暴虐 (tyranny, violence) and 非道 (inhumanity, injustice). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination intensifies the meaning of extreme cruelty.