The word 暴徒 is formed by combining two characters: 暴, which conveys meanings of violence, brutality, or sudden outburst, and 徒, which refers to a person, follower, or member of a group. Together, they create a compound where the first character describes the nature or action of the person denoted by the second, literally meaning a "violent person" or "brutal follower", thus defining someone who engages in riotous or mob violence.