The word 冷酷无情 is formed by combining the two-character terms 冷酷 and 无情. 冷酷 means "cold and cruel", derived from 冷 (cold) and 酷 (cruel), while 无情 means "without feeling", from 无 (without) and 情 (feeling). Their conjunction intensifies the meaning to denote a severe lack of empathy and harshness, resulting in the compound's sense of "cold-hearted" or "ruthless".