Kegyetlen

Kegyetlen is a Hungarian adjective meaning merciless, cruel, or brutal in degree. It is used to describe actions, policies, or people characterized by a lack of compassion or excessive harshness. In contemporary usage it can apply to both concrete acts and abstract phenomena, such as a kegyetlen támadás (cruel attack) or kegyetlen diktatúra (cruel dictatorship). The adverb form is kegyetlenül, and the noun form is kegyetlenség, meaning cruelty.

Etymology and forms: the word is of Hungarian origin, historically formed from the concept of kegyelem, mercy, with the negating suffix -tlen, effectively “without mercy.” The comparative form is kegyetlenebb, and the superlative is legkegyetlenebb. Common collocations include phrases describing violence, punishment, or harsh policies, as well as literary or journalistic portrayals of character or regimes.

Usage and nuance: kegyetlen generally carries a strong negative valence and is often used in moral or evaluative contexts. It can describe both actions and persons, though it remains primarily descriptive or condemnatory rather than neutral. It is frequently found in debates about human rights, warfare, and political oppression, as well as in fiction and reportage to emphasize severity and lack of compassion.

Related terms: kegyes means merciful, and kegyelem refers to mercy. Related adjectives like zord or rideg express severity but do not carry the same explicit lack of mercy. The noun kegyetlenség (cruelty) and adverb kegyetlenül are standard derivatives.