heinous

adjective

Definition of heinousnext
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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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of heinous When a heinous crime sets off a chain reaction of mutual care and resistance within a trans community, two trans women search for the perpetrator that leads to the highest reaches of government. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 20 June 2026 Whereas the cross burning was an actual heinous act that took place! — Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026 Top law enforcement officials in Western Europe said Rio’s death is part of a growing and terrifying trend of kids being recruited and groomed online by criminal gangs to commit heinous acts. — ABC News, 12 June 2026 Seeing Biden’s devastating weakness, Russia invaded Ukraine, and Hamas terrorists launched the heinous October 7th attack on Israel. — New York Times, 11 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for heinous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heinous
  1. horrific
  2. gruesome
  3. sickening
  4. shocking
  5. disgusting
  6. terrible
  7. horrible
  8. ugly
Adjective
  • Her family members could be seen getting emotional as the detective described the horrific scene.
    — Alex Stone, ABC News, 21 July 2026
  • The end of this horrific tableau draws a distinct difference between Loustat and Loumand.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of horrific
Adjective
  • Multiple gruesome photos of the crime scene were exhibited on screen during the first day of the preliminary hearing Tuesday, showing a garbage bag with limbs inside, as well as Rivas’ bloody head and torso.
    — Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026
  • Directed by James Watkins and written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, the film places one of the most gruesome villains from the DC universe front and center.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 22 July 2026
Definition of gruesome
Adjective
  • To defile the legacy of his family and that family name is sickening, and turns my stomach.
    — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 16 July 2026
  • The 2022 spill was the largest ever from the Keystone pipeline, killing or sickening 2,700 animals.
    — Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 10 July 2026
Definition of sickening
Adjective
  • This mixture of raucous comedy and unusually vivid war scenes was considered quite shocking for its time.
    — Tim Page, The Washington Examiner, 25 July 2026
  • The first story was set in the 1980s while the second volume, recently wrapped, was set in the 1990s, at the dawn of the Internet age and culminated with a shocking finale that left readers’ jaws on the forest floor.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2026
Definition of shocking
Adjective
  • This is beyond disgusting, photos like this should be private.
    — StyleCaster Editors, StyleCaster, 24 July 2026
  • His shirt was soaked down below his collarbones, clingy and disgusting.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 July 2026
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • Why do some people stay in terrible, horrible, no good, very bad jobs?
    — Joseph Kim, NPR, 22 July 2026
  • Three years ago, Victor Wembanyama was terrible, and Houston’s Cam Whitmore won Summer MVP.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • My husband holds the pamphlet close to his face in bed the next morning, my light creating a horrible glare on the glossy paper.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
  • The family wants to have accountability for this horrible crime.
    — Eric Shawn, FOXNews.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • It was delivered with sneers, an ugly, small-minded few minutes in support of the sclerotic, disdainful of dynamic change.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026
  • And after an ugly Congress filled with multiple shutdowns, the House is taking an increasingly confrontational approach toward the Senate.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of ugly

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heinous
heinousness
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Cite this Entry

“Heinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heinous. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of heinous for Spanish Speakers

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