adjective
heinous
HAY-nus/ˈheɪnəs/
Shockingly evil or morally wrong.
Raising a club over the bound captive is a heinous act of cruelty.
Etymology
The hatred base gives the idea of something hateful or odious. In the selected sense, heinous describes conduct so morally horrible that it provokes abhorrence.
In context
a heinous act of murder, uh one which saw Mr. Fowler linger uh for 2 days in increasingly dire medical distress
More examples
- Nothing can excuse such a heinous act.
- The investigation uncovers heinous abuses at the prison.
- Survivors testify about the regime's heinous crimes.
Forms
heinous
heinously adverb — In a shockingly evil or wicked manner.
heinousness noun — The quality of being shockingly evil.
Similar words
- atrocious
- Emphasizes extreme cruelty or brutality rather than moral evil alone.
- wicked
- Means morally evil but can sound less severe or formal.