heinous

From Old French haïneus (compare French haineux) from haïr (“to hate”), hadir (“to hate”)(compare Old French enhadir (“to become filled with hate”)), from Frankish *hatjan (“to hate”)

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈheɪnəs/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈhiːnəs/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪnəs

heinous (comparative more heinous, superlative most heinous)

1. Totally reprehensible.

   I hope they catch the person responsible for that heinous crime.

   The perpetrators of this heinous act must be brought to justice.

   The government denounced the attack as the most heinous of the last decade.

   Political Leaders from around the world have condemned these heinous acts.

   In our public services sorry seems to be the most heinous word.

• Nouns to which "heinous" is often applied: crime, act, sin, murder, offence.

• (totally reprehensible): abominable, horrible, odious

• unheinous (rare)

• unheinous

• in house, in-house, inhouse