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
New York City summers are borderline heinous.
—
Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 7 June 2026
Companies have been offering discounts, convenience, and free services in exchange for access to your data for years, from loyalty cards and cookies to dashcams, insurance apps monitoring how people drive, and that heinous smart TV that’s always showing ads.
—Robert Hart, The Verge, 29 May 2026
The eight-part series, led by Charlie Hunnam, tapped into the serial killer who killed at least two women and exhumed several bodies for his heinous purposes in the 1950s.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 28 May 2026
The suit was an act of vengeance, and its primary function seemed to be to make everyone involved look heinous.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 7 June 2026
Companies have been offering discounts, convenience, and free services in exchange for access to your data for years, from loyalty cards and cookies to dashcams, insurance apps monitoring how people drive, and that heinous smart TV that’s always showing ads.
—Robert Hart, The Verge, 29 May 2026
The eight-part series, led by Charlie Hunnam, tapped into the serial killer who killed at least two women and exhumed several bodies for his heinous purposes in the 1950s.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 28 May 2026
The suit was an act of vengeance, and its primary function seemed to be to make everyone involved look heinous.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heinous
Adjective
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The six-month delay was vehemently opposed by most plaintiff attorneys, who say their clients have suffered horrific abuse and are in desperate need of cash.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
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The Oscar-winning Capote had the dramatic advantage of a protagonist investigating a horrific mass murder.—
Stephen Farber,
HollywoodReporter,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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The historic victory, the nation’s first ever in the World Cup, was overshadowed when the midfielder injured his leg in gruesome fashion following a clumsy challenge from Qatar’s Assim Madibo.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
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Men In Blazers Canada’s first-ever World Cup victory, a 6-0 demolition derby of Qatar, was overshadowed yesterday by a gruesome leg injury suffered by midfield maestro Ismaël Koné.—
Mark Hodge,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
Toxic fumes are leaking into airplanes and sickening passengers and crew members at an alarming rate, according to a September 2025 report by The Wall Street Journal.—
Christopher Edwards,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
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The concept of this many women vying for West is somewhat sickening to me.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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Here are the five most shocking moments from Dutton Ranch season 1, episode 6.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
13 June 2026
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While this may seem shocking, the most important variables found by Yartseva are informative.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Adjective
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With its violent and disgusting script, Se7en defied Hollywood conventions and was a perfect match for David Fincher, who was then known for directing Alien 3 (1992) along with gritty and inventive music videos.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
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The president announced the work in April during an unrelated Oval Office appearance, saying he was inspired by complaints from a friend visiting from Germany who called the pool dark and disgusting.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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This is Conolly’s Folly, built in 1740 at the height of a terrible famine.—
Amelia Soth,
JSTOR Daily,
18 June 2026
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The heroes who save us from these awful, terrible music haters do so with force.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Adjective
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The companies try to slow down this process by submerging it in oil, but the resulting flavor is horrible.—
Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner,
Martha Stewart,
13 June 2026
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Your cab driver is taking you on a horrible route.—
Zach Schiffman,
Curbed,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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Both state and church are also known for failing to live up to those ideals, for permitting indefensible abuses, for ugly histories.—
Joe Mathews,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
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Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly, ‘Look of the Week’ is a regular series dedicated to unpacking the most talked about outfit of the last seven days.—
Fiona Sinclair Scott,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heinous. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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