HEINOUSNESS Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

heinousness

noun

Definition of heinousness

as in badness

the state or quality of being utterly evil the heinousness of the Holocaust was only fully realized after the war

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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 heinousness The case has captured the nation's attention for several reasons over the years, from the heinousness of the charges and the 1,000 survivors to questions about Epstein's connections to the rich and powerful, including the president. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for heinousness

Noun

On one side, a satanic figure named Randall Flagg who gathers his forces of badness to Las Vegas; on the other, the good guys, led by 108-year-old Mother Abigail in, of all places, Boulder.

— Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2026
The show premiered over Thanksgiving weekend, when people were tired and full and bored (and probably also horny), and countered our world’s unceasing badness with its world’s buoyant sweetness.

— Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026

Definition of badness

Noun

But soon after, in Genesis 18, God tells Abraham of plans to investigate reports of sinfulness in Sodom and Gomorrah.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
Denver author Josiah Hesse was raised by Evangelical parents in churches that believe in the torments of hell, that their poverty is due to their sinfulness and lack of faith.

— Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026

Definition of sinfulness

Noun

From the new arrivals, Dresdeners heard the harrowing tales of mass rapes, murders, and atrocities perpetrated by Russian soldiers eager for revenge.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026
But a drumbeat of doubt began in Elwood’s head in 2010 on a tour of Sarajevo, where Bosnian-Serb forces had committed atrocities during the war that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia.

— Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of atrocity

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heinous

heinousness

heir

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“Heinousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heinousness. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of heinousness

noun

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