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
Aside from the nine inmates, many of whom have been charged with heinous violent crimes, several relatives and jail staffers have been arrested on suspicion of aiding the escapees.
—
Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
New York’s fade is particularly heinous.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Judges are human and, like the rest of us, listen to heinous accusations and do their best to leave emotions outside the court and oversee a trial with professionalism.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
Any found guilty of truly heinous crimes.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
New York’s fade is particularly heinous.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Judges are human and, like the rest of us, listen to heinous accusations and do their best to leave emotions outside the court and oversee a trial with professionalism.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
Any found guilty of truly heinous crimes.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heinous
Adjective
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The tragedy in question is no secret — Chris and Jenny are killed together in a horrific car accident, which inspires all sorts of awful questions — and the fallout is mostly predictable.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
22 Oct. 2025
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How the stakeholders juggled those diametrically opposed ideas—liberty and self-governance but also slavery and their horrific treatment of the Native American population—is the part of the human experience that Burns is most interested in exploring.—
Carlo Versano,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Halloween was significantly more graphic than many of its predecessors, and Zombie said the gruesome violence was a deliberate choice and that it wasn’t supposed to be easy viewing.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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The five-minute mash-up rapidly intercuts scenes of happy domesticity (a loving mother, kids in face paint eating popcorn in front of the tube, teens affectionately goofing around) with gruesome murders committed by a beautiful little boy.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Winter is coming, and no amount of Narcan can solve this sickening public health crisis.—
Joe Dwinell,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
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The injury was so sickening that the CBS broadcast only replayed it once, lest anyone with a weak stomach lose their lunch.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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However, the final moments of season 5 also saw the shocking death of Cinda Canning (Tina Fey) — or a convincing doppelgänger — outside the Arconia, teasing the mystery Mabel, Charles and Oliver.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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But the real draw here is Cut's elaborate torture device, which uses piano wire in inventive and shocking ways.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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That would probably be the most disgusting kind.—
Ilana Kaplan,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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Continue reading … 'DISGUSTING' – Jen Psaki jokes Usha Vance scared of her husband, ripped for 'disgusting' comments.—
,
FOXNews.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The heiress was involved in a terrible car accident in 1929, which left her with life-long medical issues.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
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And keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, once Alisson’s backup with Liverpool, has improved after a terrible start.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The New York Jets’ Sunday began with a horrible loss, as legendary center Nick Mangold passed away after a long battle with kidney disease.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
26 Oct. 2025
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Šilovs did, however, look horrible in the shootout.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Vanderbilt survived a Hail Mary against Missouri, while Memphis bounced back from its ugly loss to UAB to defeat South Florida and regain its spot as the leading Group of Five playoff contender.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Oct. 2025
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But two familiar problems reared their ugly heads.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heinous. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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