Definition

1. Noun:

   • Enemy-hired killer, wicked thug: A person, often a mercenary or hired operative, who commits brutal or violent acts, typically for a political faction or enemy force. The term carries strong connotations of cruelty and treachery.
   • Ruffian, villain: A general term for a vicious and brutal person.

2. Adjective:

   • Ruffianly, thug-like: Describing a person or behavior that is brutally violent, cruel, and characteristic of a mercenary or killer.
   • Vicious, nasty: Used to describe someone with a particularly mean or malicious nature.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Bọn ác ôn đã bắt cóc nhà hoạt động. (The wicked thugs kidnapped the activist.)
  • Hắn ta không khác gì một tên ác ôn. (He is no different from a hired killer.)

• Adjective:

  • Những hành động ác ôn của chúng không thể tha thứ. (Their thug-like actions are unforgivable.)
  • Tính tình hắn rất ác ôn. (His disposition is very vicious.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "ác ôn" is historically and politically charged, frequently used in contexts of war or political struggle to label violent operatives working for the opposing side.
• It can be used metaphorically to strongly condemn someone's exceptionally cruel or brutal behavior, even outside of political contexts.

Variants and Related Words

• Ác (adj): wicked, cruel, fierce.
• Ôn (n, archaic): pestilence, plague; often used in compound words to denote something harmful.

Synonyms

• Noun: Hired killer, thug, ruffian, villain, mercenary.
• Adjective: Brutal, vicious, cruel, thuggish, malicious.

Related Idioms

• While "ác ôn" itself is often used as a standalone term, it conceptually relates to idioms describing treachery and cruelty, such as "mặt người dạ thú" (a human face but a beast's heart) or "lòng lang dạ sói" (the heart of a wolf and a fox).

noun

1. Enemy-hired killer, wicked thug

adj

1. Ruffianly, thug-like