Describes extreme cruelty or barbaric acts, often in historical, political, or literary contexts. Used as a noun or adjectival noun (with な).
The dictator's atrocious acts are etched in history.
戦争の残虐無道を語り継ぐことが大切だ。
It is important to pass down the inhumanity of war.
残酷 is a more common word for cruelty, used in everyday contexts. 残虐無道 is stronger and more literary, emphasizing extreme, lawless brutality.
非道 means injustice or inhumanity, but is less intense and can be used more broadly. 残虐無道 specifically highlights savage cruelty.
A yojijukugo (four-character compound) combining 残虐 (cruelty) and 無道 (lawlessness, immorality). The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it follows classical Chinese patterns of compounding.