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
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Recent Examples of heinous
Both had spent their entire lives chafing under the terror of bigotry, and from the hypocrisy being exposed by a heinous, toxic legacy of institutionalized double standards.
—
John E. Green, Time, 1 Feb. 2026
And even now, four years after juries across two states confirmed the testimonies from survivors by finding Kelly guilty on a range of heinous charges, Kelly’s presence looms over his hometown.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2026
The manner in which 1478F was killed was especially heinous and outside the bounds of ethical fair chase hunting, according to the wildlife experts.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
Now this is the most high-profile and most heinous act of violence that has been undertaken.
—NBC news, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heinous
John E. Green, Time, 1 Feb. 2026
And even now, four years after juries across two states confirmed the testimonies from survivors by finding Kelly guilty on a range of heinous charges, Kelly’s presence looms over his hometown.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2026
The manner in which 1478F was killed was especially heinous and outside the bounds of ethical fair chase hunting, according to the wildlife experts.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
Now this is the most high-profile and most heinous act of violence that has been undertaken.
—NBC news, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heinous
Adjective
-
Pregnancy was an offense punishable by death in the camps, yet all three women managed to survive horrific conditions, give birth and keep their newborns alive through seemingly impossible twists of fate and luck.—
Lesley Stahl,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
-
His cinema verite style powerfully exposed the horrific inhumanity of public institutions (like hospitals, schools and housing projects) supposedly created to help people.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This story is set in a gruesome, violent, vile world.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Throughout the last two days, Ivey centered himself in faith and gratitude — two grounding principles for a player whose career was derailed in January 2025 by a gruesome leg injury.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The rest of us could only imagine Randall’s sickening embarrassment at needing to testify at the trial.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Her death — sudden, severe, senseless — is sickening.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This shocking ignorance and insensitivity by Ocasio-Cortez should rule her out of any potential presidential bid or other high office.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
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Viewers barely have time to register what’s in front of them before there’s another shocking accusation, revelation, or character detail.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Epstein files reveal plenty of powerful people to have tolerated or participated in disgusting and shameful behavior.—
Gilad Edelman,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Hearing disgusting lies spread about my brother is absolutely gut-wrenching, and my family is deeply grateful so many people have stood up and helped tell his truth.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The question was about the student section’s harassment of former Spartan Xavier Booker, which seemed like a legitimate query considering Booker had a terrible game.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The move was expected because Hill, who played for the Chiefs from 2016-‘21 before being traded to the Dolphins, is recovering from a terrible knee injury.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And for the next year its law enforcement members were hailed as heroes for their efforts that prevented a horrible situation from becoming even worse.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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There’s nary a crease to be seen in Bina Daigeler’s costumes, all covetable, unapproachable and tailored to the gods; Matthew Herbert’s score may be among the lushest ever slathered over such horrible goings-on.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Further, there is the even uglier spectre of players and coaches themselves fixing games.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Shower Heads Even the most high-end shower heads are not immune to ugly mineral deposits and limescale buildup that can clog the holes.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heinous. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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