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 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 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 See All Example Sentences for heinous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for heinous

Adjective

Gerardi and his horrific murder have remained relevant in the decades since.

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 July 2026
To be sure, the thugs of Hamas and Hezbollah committed a horrific massacre of young Jewish civilians enjoying a music festival on October 7, 2023.

— DP Opinion, Denver Post, 6 July 2026

Definition of horrific

Adjective

The more time passes, the more gruesome the recovery process becomes, said William Gomez, a firefighter in La Guaira.

— Fernanda Pesce, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Family and loved ones are remembering Brittany Clark, the former Sacramento resident and Kennedy High School student killed by an alligator in a Florida river, as officials there released new details of the gruesome attack.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 6 July 2026

Definition of gruesome

Adjective

But there are multiple Ebola strains, and those vaccines, treatments, and tests aren’t effective against the rarer strain, Bundibugyo, sickening people today.

— Alice Park, Time, 2 July 2026
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

Definition of sickening

Adjective

Cape Verde began this run by making a statement, producing a shocking 0-0 draw against soccer powerhouse Spain on June 15 in its first-ever World Cup match.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026
The Packers then blew a 21-3 halftime lead in the Wild Card round against Chicago, gave up 25 fourth quarter points and eventually suffered a shocking 31-27 loss to the arch-rival Bears.

— Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026

Definition of shocking

Adjective

With all the terrible news of layoffs and that the games industry is in a dire state, some people online have said a crash is the only way to fix things.

— Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
With Te Fiti gone, a terrible darkness began slowly taking hold of the islands and their surrounding waters.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026

Definition of terrible

Adjective

And obviously, slavery was a terrible thing, and that was horrible.

— Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
Horton, who married Rickman in 2012 in a private ceremony after more than 40 years together, also told the outlet that the diagnosis had been a horrible shock to them both.

— Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026

Definition of horrible

Adjective

Lasko’s teammate, Devin Taylor, was able to get up and field the rolling ball that split the two defenders, but Lasko stayed on the ground in what was a pretty ugly crash.

— Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
His ability to perform a cesarean section — something Doc couldn't dream of — forces the town to reckon with an ugly part of their collective conscience.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 3 July 2026

Definition of ugly

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heinous

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“Heinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heinous. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of heinous

adjective

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