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
House Republicans jammed Democrats with a party-line spending plan that is especially heinous in its cuts to the District of Columbia.
—
Philip Elliott, TIME, 14 Mar. 2025
Based in The Hague, the Netherlands, the ICC can step in when countries are unwilling or unable to prosecute suspects for the most heinous international crimes, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
Through the use of police bodycam and dashcam footage, the documentary tells a heinous story from Central Florida.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2025
Many versions of the conspiracy theory have asserted that the government is covering up a list of powerful men who also committed heinous crimes.
—Brian Stelter, CNN, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Philip Elliott, TIME, 14 Mar. 2025
Based in The Hague, the Netherlands, the ICC can step in when countries are unwilling or unable to prosecute suspects for the most heinous international crimes, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
Through the use of police bodycam and dashcam footage, the documentary tells a heinous story from Central Florida.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2025
Many versions of the conspiracy theory have asserted that the government is covering up a list of powerful men who also committed heinous crimes.
—Brian Stelter, CNN, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heinous
Adjective
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These types of horrific events by terrorists are why those of us who work for peace and stability in the world continue our mission.—
Danielle Wallace,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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Of course, some eight hundred thousand did die—many in horrific ways—while the formerly enslaved were left to fend for themselves in a postwar state where apartheid was enforced by terror.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Surely Yellowstone, with its large predators and geothermal activity will deliver something gruesome.—
Wes Siler,
Outside Online,
19 Apr. 2025
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The gruesome spectacle that follows earns raucous cheers and applause from the slack-jawed onlookers.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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And once the sickening jolts of the combat takeoff had ended and Bui slowly grew accustomed to the noise and the pressure of the C-130, the taste of KFC stopped his crying.—
Jennifer Brookland,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2025
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To take but one example, the riots that convulsed swatches of England and Northern Ireland last year were fueled by social media accounts claiming sickening crimes by immigrants, amplified by right-wing accounts.—
David Robert Grimes,
Scientific American,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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There is something shocking, almost rude, about comparing the aims of wardens and guards to those of curators and artists, but McKenzie has her reasons.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
28 Apr. 2025
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Then, in 1903, news broke of a shocking massacre in the town of Kishinev, in the southwestern reaches of the Russian Empire.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The fridge was smelly and disgusting before it was replaced about a week later.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2025
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But that’s no excuse for using this disgusting word.—
Tommy McArdle,
People.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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United have fallen massively and it’s been a terrible watch all season, bar a couple of highs.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Public interest in the film intensified after a stroke of terrible happenstance.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Wade has been in a horrible slump since the season started and going in to Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels is hitting .096 (5-for-52) with a homer, seven RBIs, eight walks and an on base percentage of .213.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2025
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The Braves desperately need to add a shortstop and some offensive help amid their horrible start to the season.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Heat finished with an ugly 12-34 record against opponents that finished this regular season with a .500 record or better.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2025
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Brinkley in her book describes one ugly scene when Joel, deep in his cups, ate a heap of spaghetti directly from a large pan on the stove, then vehemently kicked everyone out of the house for eating his pasta.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heinous. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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