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 heinous attack comes near the end of Pride Month.
—
Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 26 June 2025
Unfortunately, a drunken Ben makes a heinous error in judgment that abruptly extinguishes the generosity of their hosts.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 27 June 2025
One reason the Twins were so down and out was a heinous 17-game stretch by the pitching staff, which yielded nine runs eight times.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 27 June 2025
These people were convicted of very heinous murders with a sentence of life without parole.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 26 June 2025
Unfortunately, a drunken Ben makes a heinous error in judgment that abruptly extinguishes the generosity of their hosts.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 27 June 2025
One reason the Twins were so down and out was a heinous 17-game stretch by the pitching staff, which yielded nine runs eight times.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 27 June 2025
These people were convicted of very heinous murders with a sentence of life without parole.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for heinous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heinous
Adjective
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Family recounts parents' efforts to save children The family of the two children who died in the flooding recounted in a GoFundMe page the horrific moment floodwaters swept the young siblings away and the desperate attempt by their parents to save their lives.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
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But the first lady and I are here in Texas to express the love and support and the anguish of our entire nation in the aftermath of this really horrific and deadly flood.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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But the gruesome truth remains — more than 120 are people are dead, including children.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
11 July 2025
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Other all-original haunted houses will include Jason Universe, which takes guests back to the summer camp where, one Friday the 13th, the gruesome legend was born.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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Also sickening is Aja, transforming from cocoon to butterfly — unfortunately, Jasmine Masters will see her in court.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
4 July 2025
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The portal that allows the players to go from school to school is also sickening.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
9 June 2025
Adjective
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All those TikToks sharing the most important news of the week, or the Instagram influencers reacting to a shocking headline, or the YouTubers making video essays analyzing current events — all of these could not exist without the labor and specialized knowledge of journalists.—
Reia Li,
AZCentral.com,
9 July 2025
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In addition to all the shocking Prime Day finds on sale now, J.Crew Factory is stepping up and dropping prices.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
People.com,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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Danny DeVito, who plays the hilarious and disgusting Frank Reynolds on Always Sunny, used to be married to a fellow comedy legend, Rhea Perlman.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
9 July 2025
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July 7, 2025 Homa included another message from a fan that is far too disgusting to even reiterate.—
Kendall Capps,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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And because of that, it’s shielded us from the terrible things that happen downstream in the supply chain.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
8 July 2025
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Vegas bounced back from a terrible loss to the Fever with an 86-68 win over the Sun on Sunday.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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Maybe the news reports and images trigger your feelings around a horrible experience at a camp, a personal loss of a child, or even just a loss of feeling safe and in control of the world, said Hurlbert.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
11 July 2025
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For many who were directly affected by the flood, these post-flood days have been like waking up from a horrible nightmare.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Confirmation bias rears its ugly head, and the person convinces themselves that AI sentience is at hand.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
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In ‘24, Hoover and the offense were a mess through the first six games, which included a rash of turnovers and ugly home defeats to Houston and Central Florida.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heinous. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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