HEINOUS Synonyms: 128 Similar and Opposite Words

heinous

adjective

Definition of heinous

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 No Muslim can even dare to think of committing such a heinous [act]. — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 25 Sep. 2026 Hitler and his Nazis committed the most heinous crimes against humanity, including the extermination of six million Jews, and more than three million non-Jews, because of the Aryan supremacy ideology. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026 Two juries in Chicago and New York City convicted Kelly of a series of heinous crimes involving minors and child pornography. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026 In addition to the lack of concrete evidence, the prosecution had to work against the notion at the time that a woman could not feasibly commit such a heinous crime. — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for heinous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for heinous

Adjective

First, Biden’s open borders let this monster into our country, then sanctuary politicians in New York refused to hand him over to ICE and released him after a previous arrest three months before this horrific crime.

— Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
Travis Barker has an unfortunate connection to the horrific plane crash in Greenacres, Florida, on Sunday that killed all nine people on board — two crew and seven passengers.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of horrific

Adjective

Thunder star Jalen Williams, the team’s second-leading scorer and best all-around defender during its title run two seasons ago, fractured a fibula and dislocated his left ankle in a gruesome injury Sunday.

— Andrew Greif, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2026
Rescue workers continue to search in the wreckage for survivors and bodies, with witnesses describing a gruesome scene.

— Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of gruesome

Adjective

Advertisement In Brazil and South America, outbreaks of a fungus that causes a disfiguring and sometimes fatal skin disease have been sickening cats, dogs, and people.

— Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 27 Oct. 2026
And, of course, leave it to Zendaya to add some sickening vintage to the WNBA Finals.

— Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of sickening

Adjective

In 2017, McDowell suffered another shocking loss when Paxton died following heart surgery.

— Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2026
The project follows Anna, who races to conceal the shocking truth about her best friend’s death on the night of her 21st birthday.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of shocking

Adjective

Not only has the gimmick run stale, but her insistence on upping the ante year after year, creating costumes that are increasingly bizarre and disgusting, is a threat to us all.

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2026
The actions of their fans, especially their supporter group, was disgusting.

— Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of disgusting

Adjective

The bat lay on its back, soggy and wretched, here in the waning hours of this terrible day.

— Téa Obreht, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026
An ugly fight between teammates during training camp was a terrible start to a season that officially began with a loss against North Carolina, a game in Dublin that TCU essentially sold, against the desires of Dykes.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of terrible

Adjective

The league and its players’ union are heading for an ugly fight, years in the making.

— Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Cooling plates manage heat during normal operation, while passive barriers and electrical isolation are designed to contain the ugly edge cases that Beta’s testing process intentionally triggers.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of ugly

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heinies

heinous

heinousness

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“Heinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heinous. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of heinous

adjective

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