na-adjective, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun
heinous; atrocious; extremely wicked
Describes crimes, acts, or people of extreme evil or cruelty. Often used in news and formal contexts.
彼は極悪な犯罪を犯した。
He committed a heinous crime.
He is known as an utterly heinous criminal.
極悪非道な行為は許されない。
Atrocious and inhuman acts are unforgivable.
The case stirred up society as a heinous crime.
They committed every kind of atrocity in that town.
残忍 focuses on cruelty and lack of mercy in an action, whereas 極悪 describes overall wicked character.
邪悪 suggests a sinister, malicious nature, while 極悪 emphasizes the extreme degree of evil in acts or people.
悪辣 describes cunning, underhanded wickedness (e.g. schemes), while 極悪 describes outright, extreme evil.
善良 means good-natured and virtuous, the direct opposite of the extreme wickedness described by 極悪.
inhuman; heinous; atrocious
Compound of 極 (extreme) and 悪 (evil). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with extreme wickedness.