heinous
adjective
hei·nous
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Definition of heinous
: hatefully or shockingly evil : abominable
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Examples of heinous in a Sentence
While admittedly the crimes rappers commit have often been more heinous than those committed by other entertainers, rappers seem to face more opprobrium. Though hip hop has become mainstream, much of mass media still has antiquated ideas of rap music and rappers.
— Vibe, May 2001
The verdict … also defined rape for the first time as a crime against humanity, one of the most heinous crimes. The tribunal has previously tried cases involving rape, but defined the rape as torture.
— Marlise Simons, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2001
It's hard enough to figure out what a defendant was thinking when he committed the heinous and bizarre act that has made him a candidate for the insanity defense. And state of mind is what the insanity defense is all about.
— Laura Mansnerus, New York Times Book Review, 26 Oct. 1997
These murders were especially heinous.
people accused of committing heinous crimes
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Recent Examples on the Web
Instead the West should try to spare Syria’s suffering by offering strictly humanitarian assistance and threatening retribution for heinous acts, such as the use of chemical weapons. — The Economist, "Syria will poison the region for years to come," 5 Sep. 2019 In other recent mass shootings officials also have declined to name the shooter so as not to give their heinous acts undue attention. — George Schroeder, USA TODAY, "‘We are one’: Community vows to heal as police investigate motive for West Texas shootings," 2 Sep. 2019 Last week on the heels of two more dramatic mass murders, Gardner once again offered nothing more than meaningless condolences to those impacted by these heinous crimes. — Doug Friednash, The Denver Post, "Friednash: Run for Senate, Hick," 16 Aug. 2019 One of the questions asked at the end of the presser was asked by a journalist who said that this is becoming all too common: a white man with a manifesto who then commits these heinous acts of violence. — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, "Representative Veronica Escobar Speaks out About Gun Violence and El Paso," 5 Aug. 2019 The defendant committed heinous crimes against Jane Doe that will forever impact her. — Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, "California man gets 94 years to life in Antioch child molest case," 7 Aug. 2019 The president’s fans should remember that their main complaint has been that Donald Trump and his campaign were treated as suspects in heinous, traitorous crimes despite the absence of credible incriminating evidence. — Andrew C. Mccarthy, National Review, "The DOJ Will Not Prosecute James Comey over Trump Memos," 3 Aug. 2019 Justice must be done for the victims of these heinous crimes and their families. — Washington Post, "Official: Arizona to resume executions after 5-year hiatus," 26 July 2019 Supporters of capital punishment, who argue that it should be applied for heinous crimes, have said that delays in carrying out death sentences are unfair to the relatives of victims. — Mark Berman, BostonGlobe.com, "Justice Department plans to restart capital punishment after long hiatus," 25 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heinous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for heinous
heinous
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of heinous
: very bad or evil : deserving of hate or contempt
See the full definition for heinous in the English Language Learners Dictionary
heinous
adjective
hei·nous
| \ ˈhā-nəs
\
\
Legal Definition of heinous
: enormously and shockingly evil
a heinous crime
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