as in horrific
very bad or evil; deserving of hate or contempt
These murders were especially heinous. the heinous brutality of the attack
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Recent Examples of heinous
Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice...they will not be spared!
—
Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
These would be heinous, violent criminals who have broken our nation's laws repeatedly.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
Sami Zayn Sami Zayn has been absent from WWE TV since Elimination Chamber earlier this month, off selling a heinous attack by Kevin Owens.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025
The simple truth and key to properly recognizing this sits before the Colorado legislature right now: Senate Bill 123 on Genocide against Native Americans, recognizes this most heinous crime perpetrated against our peoples.
—Phillip Whiteman Jr., The Denver Post, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
These would be heinous, violent criminals who have broken our nation's laws repeatedly.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
Sami Zayn Sami Zayn has been absent from WWE TV since Elimination Chamber earlier this month, off selling a heinous attack by Kevin Owens.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025
The simple truth and key to properly recognizing this sits before the Colorado legislature right now: Senate Bill 123 on Genocide against Native Americans, recognizes this most heinous crime perpetrated against our peoples.
—Phillip Whiteman Jr., The Denver Post, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heinous
Adjective
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These types of horrific events by terrorists are why those of us who work for peace and stability in the world continue our mission.—
Danielle Wallace,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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Of course, some eight hundred thousand did die—many in horrific ways—while the formerly enslaved were left to fend for themselves in a postwar state where apartheid was enforced by terror.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Surely Yellowstone, with its large predators and geothermal activity will deliver something gruesome.—
Wes Siler,
Outside Online,
19 Apr. 2025
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The gruesome spectacle that follows earns raucous cheers and applause from the slack-jawed onlookers.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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And once the sickening jolts of the combat takeoff had ended and Bui slowly grew accustomed to the noise and the pressure of the C-130, the taste of KFC stopped his crying.—
Jennifer Brookland,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2025
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To take but one example, the riots that convulsed swatches of England and Northern Ireland last year were fueled by social media accounts claiming sickening crimes by immigrants, amplified by right-wing accounts.—
David Robert Grimes,
Scientific American,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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There is something shocking, almost rude, about comparing the aims of wardens and guards to those of curators and artists, but McKenzie has her reasons.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
28 Apr. 2025
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In a shocking twist that nobody would've believed a week ago, the Browns spent their final pick, in the fifth round, on Shedeur Sanders.—
Bryce Lazenby,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The fridge was smelly and disgusting before it was replaced about a week later.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2025
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Few things in this war have been more morally disgusting than the present hunt after traitors and Quislings.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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United have fallen massively and it’s been a terrible watch all season, bar a couple of highs.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
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Public interest in the film intensified after a stroke of terrible happenstance.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Big, wonderful, funny, horrible, strange, sad, great life.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
1 May 2025
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One of our group hunted it on a rainy afternoon — traditionally a horrible time to bag a bird — and killed a 3-year-old tom. —A.M. Don’t Become Overly Reliant on Your Cameras Cameras aren’t magic.—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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The biggest storyline in the series, however, has been all of the ugly hits and bad blood between the two state rivals.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
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Brinkley in her book describes one ugly scene when Joel, deep in his cups, ate a heap of spaghetti directly from a large pan on the stove, then vehemently kicked everyone out of the house for eating his pasta.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heinous. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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