1.
cruel, merciless, brutal
Describes something so cruel or violent that it is painful to witness. Used for scenes of destruction, violence, or mistreatment that evoke horror or pity.
無惨な事件が起きた。
A cruel incident occurred.
戦場には無惨な光景が広がっていた。
A brutal scene spread across the battlefield.
証拠写真には、無惨に破壊された建物の姿が映っていた。
The evidence photos showed buildings that had been cruelly destroyed.
2.
tragic, pitiful, wretched
Describes a state that is pathetically ruined or degraded, evoking sorrow or sympathy. Used when something once fine has been reduced to a miserable condition.
庭は無惨な姿になっていた。
The garden was in a wretched state.
台風の後、花壇は無惨に荒らされていた。
After the typhoon, the flower bed had been pitifully ravaged.
かつて美しかった城は戦火で焼かれ、無惨な廃墟と化していた。
The once-beautiful castle had been burned by the fires of war and reduced to a pitiful ruin.
VARIANT KANJI:
Also commonly written as 無残 or 無慚. All three spellings are used interchangeably.
USAGE:
Used both as a な-adjective (無惨な姿) and as an adverb with に (無惨に殺される). Often describes scenes that are too terrible or sad to look at.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 無惨な姿: wretched/pitiful state
- 無惨な最期: tragic end
- 無惨に殺される: be cruelly killed
- 無惨な光景: brutal/pitiful scene