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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Recent Examples of heinous
However, the achievements — while both absolutely factually correct — came with caveats that led to heinous accusations of stat padding, ie, misleading factors bolstered their numbers.
—
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
In Greek and Roman mythology, the Furies were goddesses of vengeance and retribution, called on to punish heinous crimes such as murder; now, the word is used more generally to mean fierce passion or rage.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
Extensive redactions and scattershot releases have not shed much light on the most heinous of Epstein’s crimes, and the files have not resulted in any arrests or legal consequences here in the United States.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
The law classifies these crimes as heinous, prohibiting bail, amnesty or pardon, and hindering the progression of sentences for members of criminal factions.
—Evandro Cruz Silva, The Dial, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
In Greek and Roman mythology, the Furies were goddesses of vengeance and retribution, called on to punish heinous crimes such as murder; now, the word is used more generally to mean fierce passion or rage.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
Extensive redactions and scattershot releases have not shed much light on the most heinous of Epstein’s crimes, and the files have not resulted in any arrests or legal consequences here in the United States.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
The law classifies these crimes as heinous, prohibiting bail, amnesty or pardon, and hindering the progression of sentences for members of criminal factions.
—Evandro Cruz Silva, The Dial, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heinous
Adjective
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The horrific shooting has rocked the Plainville community, with its reverberations being felt throughout the state.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
30 Mar. 2026
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A lot of his struggles stemmed from the Raiders’ horrific offensive line.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Getting cleared of a gruesome crime has boosted his social cache in his upper-class neighborhood of Westmont Village, a fictional New York suburb.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
3 Apr. 2026
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And in another gruesome moment, there is a frightening shot of dozens of wedding guests covered in blood, with bodies strewn across a banquet hall.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Thanks to Epperson’s goal from the front-left side of the crease in the second OT, the Pioneers avoided a sickening taste of déjà vu.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
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Every repeat viewing of Abraham's performance reveals some new moment of humiliation — some fresh sickening glimmer of anguish that feels all too familiar.—
Devan Coggan,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Marin stuck to her plan of staying close until a moment that changed everything with shocking swiftness — her changing her mind and going for the green on the par-5 13th for a go-ahead birdie, and Talley adding to the sad history of collapses on the back nine at the home of the Masters.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
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Emma’s shocking admission rattles the entire wedding party, particularly Haim’s Rachel, whose cousin was left paralyzed by an act of gun violence.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Living under an openly misogynistic president may have felt freakish in 2017, but by his second term, bigotry became yet another disgusting norm.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
2 Apr. 2026
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The amount of disrespect shown the Broncos is disgusting.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This is a terrible blow against reform and the Dems should be ashamed.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
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Here are five novels that have been tied to terrible crimes.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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This is going to be a horrible, terrible, no-good, very bad day.—
Nathan Rott,
NPR,
27 Mar. 2026
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In another case, a 10-year-old girl contracted horrible lesions on 10 percent of her body — mostly on her legs — after contact with giant hogweed.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The outcome was already decided – an ugly display of basketball that was never competitive – but potentially losing Doncic proverbially sucked the oxygen out of the visitors’ locker room after the game.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
3 Apr. 2026
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Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly, ‘Look of the Week’ is a regular series dedicated to unpacking the most talked about outfit of the last seven days.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heinous. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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