heinous

[ hey-nuhs ]
See synonyms for heinous on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. hateful; odious; abominable; totally reprehensible: a heinous offense.

Origin of heinous

1
1325–75; Middle English heynous<Middle French haineus, equivalent to haine hatred (derivative of haïr to hate <Germanic ) + -eus-ous

Other words for heinous

Opposites for heinous

Other words from heinous

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use heinous in a sentence

  • I think that if everybody thought, as I think, of the moral heinousness of this offence, nobody would be guilty of it.

  • She had it placed inside the altar rails, and fought the cure afterwards in the vestry as to the heinousness of the proceeding.

    The Isle of Unrest | Henry Seton Merriman
  • In Persia, where men bow to the king's will as to the will of a god, this crime will be seen in all its heinousness.

  • The sin was to be committed, and there would be no compensation to its heinousness in the way of profit to his inn.

    Scotch Wit and Humor | W. H. (Walter Henry) Howe
  • Plutina, strong-nerved as she was, found herself shuddering as she realized the heinousness of this thing.

    Heart of the Blue Ridge | Waldron Baily

British Dictionary definitions for heinous

heinous

/ (ˈheɪnəs, ˈhiː-) /


adjective
  1. evil; atrocious

Origin of heinous

1
C14: from Old French haineus, from haine hatred, from hair to hate, of Germanic origin; see hate

Derived forms of heinous

  • heinously, adverb
  • heinousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012