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
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.
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ABC News,
12 June 2026
Seeing Biden’s devastating weakness, Russia invaded Ukraine, and Hamas terrorists launched the heinous October 7th attack on Israel.
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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
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
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What should have been a night of celebration and community reflection for Juneteenth was shattered by a horrific act of violence.
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First of all, the suffering of the Iranian people has been horrific in the context of this unnecessary conflict.
Adjective
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The men escape, but their frantic exit leads them through the gruesome Terminus food-supply dungeon, where fresh corpses hang on meathooks.
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With two gruesome losses, meanwhile, Tunisia — Netherlands’ foe Thursday at Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium — has been eliminated already and cannot advance to the knockout round, no matter the outcome in KC.
Adjective
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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.
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The concept of this many women vying for West is somewhat sickening to me.
Adjective
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The 29-year-old began her comeback Saturday at the American Classic in Champlin, Minnesota, just days after announcing her shocking return to the sport.
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Cape Verde earned three draws in the group stage – the shocking Spain result, running with Uruguay in the second match and ending up in a scoreless draw with Saudi Arabia in Houston on Friday.
Adjective
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French broadcaster French Pierron was under fire for calling childbirth 'a disgusting moment.
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How to make the moment scary but watchable, disgusting but entrancing?
Adjective
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The production quality was terrible.
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But in May of 1943, a terrible fire burned his studio to the ground.
Adjective
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The Red Sox offense has been horrible this season, but Contreras has been everything the club could have hoped for.
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Your cab driver is taking you on a horrible route.
Adjective
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With one notable exception, everyone over there has nothing but ugly things to say about their main villa counterparts.
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Women superheroes have always activated an ugly segment of the internet.
Cite this Entry
“Heinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heinous. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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