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
An act of violence so heinous as that which took Kruglov’s life marks a sharp break in that social contract unlike many, or any, other transgressions could.
—
Denver Nicks, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025
Oversight Committee Republicans are focused on running a thorough investigation to bring transparency and accountability for survivors of Epstein's heinous crimes and the American people.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
This was an outrageously heinous and vicious act.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2025
These are the moments that hit me, of the heinous memories and choices and consequences.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Denver Nicks, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025
Oversight Committee Republicans are focused on running a thorough investigation to bring transparency and accountability for survivors of Epstein's heinous crimes and the American people.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
This was an outrageously heinous and vicious act.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2025
These are the moments that hit me, of the heinous memories and choices and consequences.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heinous
Adjective
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Those bots have attracted lawsuits in horrific instances where users lost their grip on reality or took their own lives after interacting with them.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
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Many of the base’s survivors have similarly described the singularly horrific nature of those 45 square miles in eastern Cuba.—
Miriam Pensack,
The Dial,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Gein committed many gruesome crimes, but cannibalism was not one of them.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
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But one photo, far less gruesome, has been gnawing at me for weeks.—
Ruth Margalit,
New Yorker,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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To come in and have [designers] fight over my Polaroid would be so sickening, or even a judge on the show.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Sep. 2025
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Man arrested for sickening act at Charlie Kirk memorial outside Turning Point HQ MAJOR HEADLINES PARTY POWERPLAY – Zohran Mamdani lands key endorsement in New York City mayoral race.—
,
FOXNews.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s the most shocking thing.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
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As if that wasn’t enough motivation, the Horned Frogs (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) will face Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes (2-3, 0-2) for the first time since Sanders led the Buffs to a shocking 45-42 upset in Fort Worth to open the 2023 season.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Evshine Memory Foam Slippers Listen, airplane floors are disgusting.—
Carin Ryan,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Oct. 2025
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Some of the abuse that came later, though, was disgusting.—
Kevin Coulson,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Our prayers are with the victims and their families during this terrible tragedy.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
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Rather, the wretched truth is a reminder that history’s wins are often, if not always, accompanied by terrible loss — that, sometimes, what was cast as victory may have actually been defeat.—
Andrea Williams,
Nashville Tennessean,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Miami could choose to move on from the star receiver due to the horrible season-ending injury.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
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Many of the game’s best teams spent the regular season alternating between brilliant and horrible.—
Levi Weaver,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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As if the Twins hadn’t experienced enough misery, September opened at home with an ugly, four-game sweep by the White Sox, who lost at least 100 games for the third year in a row.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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When the Motion Picture Association of America joined the consortium, in 2014, the fight grew uglier.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heinous. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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