heinous

adjective

hei·​nous ˈhā-nəs How to pronounce heinous (audio)
: hatefully or shockingly evil : abominable
heinously adverb
heinousness noun

Did you know?

Humans have contrasted love with hate and good with evil for eons, putting love and good on one side and hate and evil on the other. The etymology of heinous reflects the association of hate with that which is evil or horrible. During the 14th century, English borrowed heinous from the Anglo-French haine (meaning "hate"), a noun derived from hair ("to hate"), a verb of Germanic origin that is related, like the English word hate, to the Old High German haz ("hate"). Over time English speakers came to use the word to reflect the sense of horror evoked by intense hatred.

Examples of heinous in a Sentence

While admittedly the crimes rappers commit have often been more heinous than those committed by other entertainers, rappers seem to face more opprobrium. Though hip hop has become mainstream, much of mass media still has antiquated ideas of rap music and rappers. Vibe, May 2001
The verdict … also defined rape for the first time as a crime against humanity, one of the most heinous crimes. The tribunal has previously tried cases involving rape, but defined the rape as torture. Marlise Simons, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2001
It's hard enough to figure out what a defendant was thinking when he committed the heinous and bizarre act that has made him a candidate for the insanity defense. And state of mind is what the insanity defense is all about. Laura Mansnerus, New York Times Book Review, 26 Oct. 1997
These murders were especially heinous. people accused of committing heinous crimes
Recent Examples on the Web Jorge Barahona, jailed for the past 13 years for one of the most heinous acts of child abuse in South Florida memory, will not have to stand trial — for an undetermined amount of time — a judge ruled Friday. Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 The most heinous crimes against children deserve serious consequences. Hanna Kang, Orange County Register, 9 Feb. 2024 None but the most heinous of artifact-stealers can resist. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 18 Jan. 2024 Separately, Edwards signed a law in 2017 that stated juvenile offenders under the age of 18 couldn’t be tried in the adult criminal justice system, although prosecutors could still make exceptions for minors suspected of carrying out heinous violent crimes. Tim Craig, Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2024 Against all odds, the girls survived, and so ensued the hunt for who was behind their heinous assault. Sarah Nelson, USA TODAY, 19 Jan. 2024 And so ensued the hunt for who was behind their heinous assault. Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Jan. 2024 For Israelis, this same date will be that of a heinous Palestinian crime against humanity that summoned from the collective Jewish subconscious images of Jew-slaughter through the ages, culminating in the Holocaust. Roger Cohen, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024 And even though Hatley was sentenced for his crime, investigators said there were still unanswered questions about what drove him to commit such a heinous act. Keren Schiffman, ABC News, 19 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heinous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French hainus, heinous, from haine hate, from hair to hate, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German haz hate — more at hate

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heinous was in the 14th century

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near heinous

Cite this Entry

“Heinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heinous. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

heinous

adjective
hei·​nous ˈhā-nəs How to pronounce heinous (audio)
: shockingly evil : abominable
heinously adverb
heinousness noun

Legal Definition

heinous

adjective
hei·​nous ˈhā-nəs How to pronounce heinous (audio)
: enormously and shockingly evil
a heinous crime
heinously adverb
heinousness noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!