HEINOUS Synonyms: 128 Similar and Opposite Words

heinous

adjective

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 There’s long been interest in those accused of heinous crimes — serial killers Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer famously received numerous letters from fans while incarcerated. —

Lorena O'Neil, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025 Members of the media should really stop and ask themselves why these people ran directly to the press and activists to make such heinous allegations, rather than report it to any law enforcement authorities. —

Anna Alejo, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2025 Bipartisan critics also blasted Saudi Arabia for the 2018 assassination of columnist Jamal Khashoggi, and tied that heinous event directly to MBS. —

Dana L. Stroul, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025 Hamas’s heinous attack came at a moment when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was politically vulnerable and facing serious corruption charges. —

Rebecca Lissner, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heinous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for heinous

Adjective

With the partial restoration of internet access, people inside the country and others who have left in recent days shared videos and stories with ABC News that shows the horrific nature of the regime's suppression of the protests.

— Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 27 Jan. 2026
Syria’s horrific civil war killed more than 500,000 people over a 14-year period starting in 2011.

— Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026