as in horrific
very bad or evil; deserving of hate or contempt
These murders were especially heinous. the heinous brutality of the attack
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
The Egyptian national suspected of injuring 12 people in a firebombing during a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday worked in the healthcare industry and as a rideshare driver before committing the heinous act.
—
Peter D'abrosca , Audrey Conklin, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2025
The shooting of a young Israeli couple outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., was a heinous act no matter what inspired it.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 26 May 2025
Lynskey says she’s been bewildered by the fans who’ve directed online vitriol at Shauna this season, while seemingly forgiving the sins of Shauna’s husband Jeff (Warren Cole) and the heinous crimes committed by Misty (Christina Ricci).
—Todd Longwell, Variety, 2 June 2025
There have been three heinous moves in the history of American sports.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Peter D'abrosca , Audrey Conklin, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2025
The shooting of a young Israeli couple outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., was a heinous act no matter what inspired it.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 26 May 2025
Lynskey says she’s been bewildered by the fans who’ve directed online vitriol at Shauna this season, while seemingly forgiving the sins of Shauna’s husband Jeff (Warren Cole) and the heinous crimes committed by Misty (Christina Ricci).
—Todd Longwell, Variety, 2 June 2025
There have been three heinous moves in the history of American sports.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heinous
Adjective
-
Remember the horrific pro-Western regime of the Shah with its 150,000+ political prisoners?—
Paul Bedard,
The Washington Examiner,
21 June 2025
-
Hogg’s political genesis began as a senior at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland when the horrific shooting occurred in 2018.—
Maximo Bratter,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
In the wake of the gruesome shootings of two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers and their spouses, Lee took to social media.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2025
-
So prepare for more gruesome kills, more gross-outs, more insight into how a society might actually look a generation after an unfathomable event.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
The Queens Botanical Garden’s annual Pride event will feature DJ music, after-hours access to the garden and sickening drag performances by Nani Tsunami and Janae SaisQuoi.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2025
-
But the defense is hoping to cast her recollections merely as sickening details in a deranged love story between two consenting and jealous adults.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
Adjective
-
But then what looked like a tap-in par on the long par-three eighth turned into a shocking miss.—
Doug Ferguson,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2025
-
The team grapples with a leadership shakeup and a shocking ultimatum.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
All the juicy — and disgusting — details of each inspection can be found in a PDF embedded under each restaurant’s entry.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
15 June 2025
-
War is disgusting, and that extraordinary chapter, which concluded what was undoubtedly the most terrible war in history, provides no exception ...—
Charles C. W. Cooke,
National Review,
12 June 2025
Adjective
-
And these are the same Oilers who, after a terrible 6-1 loss in Game 3 to the Panthers, overcame a three-goal deficit in Game 4 to even the series.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
15 June 2025
-
For example, while the IRA rollback effort will inevitably mean a significant reduction in U.S. federal support for electric vehicles, nevertheless the adoption of EVs continued in Q1 even despite a terrible quarter for the U.S.’s leading brand (Tesla).—
Rob Day,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
And in addition to the swing itself, his overall approach at the plate has always been horrible.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
-
With guidance from Benny’s older sister and her campus-legend boyfriend, Benny and Carmen juggle horrible hookups, flavored vodka, and fake IDs.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
My goodness, these men wanted to win the U.S. Open with every bit of their being, to finally win a major championship and make this ugly, rainy day worth the battles behind them.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
-
The beautiful game deserves better than to be played against a backdrop of ugly anti-human rights policies.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heinous. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share