heinous

adjective

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

Did you know?

For eons, humans have contrasted love with hate and good with evil, putting love and good on one side, and hate and evil on the other. The association of hate with evil is baked into the etymology of heinous, which English gained directly from Anglo-French in the 14th century with the meaning we still know today; its source is the Anglo-French noun haine, meaning “hate.” Haine in turn comes from a verb of Germanic origin, hair, also meaning “to hate.” (The similarity between this hair and the other hair is coincidental.) Chaucer’s poem “Troilus and Criseyde” provides an early example of heinous in English: “He rang them out a story like a bell, against her foe who was called Polyphete, so heinous that men might on it spit.”

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These are the moments that hit me, of the heinous memories and choices and consequences. Gillian Telling, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025 But the morning attack at Minneapolis’ Annunciation Church seemed to plumb unusually heinous depths of cruelty, even as crimes driven by religious bias continue to rise. Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025 That hideous incentive triggered My Lai and other similarly heinous attacks. Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025 In the original series, Dexter was a forensics technician who targeted the most heinous of criminals. Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heinous

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

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Cite this Entry

“Heinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heinous. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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

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