heinous

[ hey-nuhs ]

adjective

1. hateful; odious; abominable; totally reprehensible:

   a heinous offense.

   Synonyms: nefarious, villainous, atrocious, flagitious, flagrant, infamous, wicked

   Antonyms: admirable

heinous

/ ˈhiː-; ˈheɪnəs /

adjective

1. evil; atrocious

Derived Forms

• ˈheinously, adverb
• ˈheinousness, noun

Other Words From

• heinous·ly adverb
• heinous·ness noun
• non·heinous adjective
• non·heinous·ly adverb
• non·heinous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of heinous¹

1325–75; Middle English heynous < Middle French haineus, equivalent to haine hatred (derivative of haïr to hate < Germanic ) + -eus -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of heinous¹

C14: from Old French haineus , from haine hatred, from hair to hate, of Germanic origin; see hate

Example Sentences

"The British Crown committed heinous crimes against the first peoples of this country... I will not be silent," the independent senator said.

From BBC

"People who have committed heinous crimes - murderers, rapists, cannibals and paedophiles - they not only avoid punishment by going to war, the unprecedented bit is that they are being hailed as heroes."

From BBC

"By scratching the surface you get a terrible shock. It's such a heinous crime," says the Queen, who has called for domestic violence to be talked about more openly.

From BBC

“This appears to be a heinous crime committed by an individual who had no regard for the life of Dustin Kjersem,” Sheriff Springer said.

From BBC

The court of last resort was set up to deal with the most heinous crimes of an international nature when countries are unable or unwilling to prosecute high ranking individuals accused of atrocities.

From BBC

Related Words

• abhorrent
• abominable
• atrocious
• flagrant
• hateful
• hideous
• horrendous
• infamous
• nefarious
• odious
• outrageous
• revolting
• scandalous
• shocking
• unspeakable
• vicious