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
The manner in which 1478F was killed was especially heinous and outside the bounds of ethical fair chase hunting, according to the wildlife experts.
—
Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
Now this is the most high-profile and most heinous act of violence that has been undertaken.
—NBC news, 11 Jan. 2026
The fact that the video is available has not stopped Trump or members of his administration from lying about the heinous crime committed against a 37-year-old mother of three.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2026
Netanyahu's demand came in the wake of the heinous Sunday terror attack in Australia.
—Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
Now this is the most high-profile and most heinous act of violence that has been undertaken.
—NBC news, 11 Jan. 2026
The fact that the video is available has not stopped Trump or members of his administration from lying about the heinous crime committed against a 37-year-old mother of three.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2026
Netanyahu's demand came in the wake of the heinous Sunday terror attack in Australia.
—Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heinous
Adjective
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Hall said his mother’s final moments replay on a horrific loop in his head.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
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Jacquelyn’s attorney, Andrew Nebenzahl, said the company has ignored horrific crashes and entrapments.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This story is set in a gruesome, violent, vile world.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Throughout the last two days, Ivey centered himself in faith and gratitude — two grounding principles for a player whose career was derailed in January 2025 by a gruesome leg injury.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Similarly the vulnerability of Nancy Guthrie, an elderly woman described as having mobility problems, as a possible victim of a violent crime, is sickening and deeply uncomfortable.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
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To many of those who knew what went on inside the structure, the spectacle was sickening.—
Gisela Salim-Peyer,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nithya Raman entered the city’s crowded mayoral race on Saturday, marking a shocking and last-minute move to challenge longtime ally Mayor Karen Bass after previously endorsing the mayor.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Feb. 2026
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What began with the unconstitutional targeting of law firms, universities, and non-partisan civil servants has advanced to ICE’s shocking and deadly street-level assaults.—
Chris Mattei,
Hartford Courant,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Hearing disgusting lies spread about my brother is absolutely gut-wrenching, and my family is deeply grateful so many people have stood up and helped tell his truth.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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At one point a couple of years ago, Microsoft even used malware-like pop-ups in a disgusting overreach.—
Tom Warren,
The Verge,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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America just passed the 50th anniversary of one of its truly terrible days — one that future historians can track as the beginning of the end of our democracy.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
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Busch was terrible defensively at third.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Miami is now 27-26, still mired in play-in territory, entering today’s matinee at horrible Washington.—
Greg Cote
February 8,
Miami Herald,
8 Feb. 2026
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A lot of things have happened with regard to that horrible situation the last couple of hours.—
Kathy Tulumello,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Further, there is the even uglier spectre of players and coaches themselves fixing games.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
12 Feb. 2026
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Shower Heads Even the most high-end shower heads are not immune to ugly mineral deposits and limescale buildup that can clog the holes.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heinous. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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