variants
or less commonly heroical
1
: of or relating to courageous people or the mythological or legendary figures of antiquity : of, relating to, resembling, or suggesting heroes especially of antiquity
heroic legends
the heroic age
2
a
: exhibiting or marked by courage and daring
It was a heroic decision.
b
: supremely noble or self-sacrificing
a heroic gesture
received medals for their heroic actions
3
a
: of impressive size, power, extent, or effect
a heroic voice
b(1)
: of great intensity : extreme
heroic effort
(2)
: of a kind that is likely only to be undertaken to save a life
heroic surgery
4
: of, relating to, or constituting drama written during the Restoration in heroic couplets and concerned with a conflict between love and honor
1
: a verse or poem written during the Restoration using rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter and concerned with a conflict between love and honor : a heroic verse or poem
2
heroics plural
a
: flamboyantly boastful language or action
avoids heroics in his writing
b
: courageous, noble, or self-sacrificing action or behavior : heroic action or behavior
the heroics of the civil rights movement
c
: determined effort especially in the face of difficulty
Synonyms
Examples of heroic in a Sentence
Adjective
It was heroic of those women to fight for the right to vote.
The soldiers received medals for their heroic actions.
Despite heroic efforts to save the business, it ultimately went bankrupt.
a political battle of heroic proportions
Recent Examples on the Web
Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
So even the most heroic have to be compromised in some ways.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
In the comments, well-wishers praise his heroic actions.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024
With Monkey Man, Patel offers an allegorical story that combines the technical and heroic sensibilities of his favorite action figures (Bruce Lee, John Wick) with the mythologies rooted in his ethnic identity.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024
In early 2022, much of the world applauded the heroic Ukrainian troops who held back Russian forces outside the gates of Kharkiv and Kyiv.
—Dominic Tierney, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2024
And a move to New York City harks back to the early days of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and the late Harold Ramis in heroic flight suits.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024
Pictures of a mother clutching her baby, a young family cowering in a bomb shelter, and heroic Russian soldiers recall images of World War II, which Russian propagandists routinely use to legitimize the current conflict.
—Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
His protagonists are dispassionate observers, not heroic soldiers: a group of war correspondents, reporters, and photographers trying to sneak through military lines to get at the biggest story in the world.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2024
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2024
The Trojans needed heroics at the end of regulation to avert a loss against Arizona on Thursday.
—Jeff Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
Same with those other birds, as the Orioles won the World Series in 1970, besting the Cincinnati Reds 4 games to 1, thanks in large part to the heroics of Brooks Robinson.
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 29 Jan. 2024
Perry did all of his last-minute heroics with four fouls.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024
Musgrove’s heroics have also earned praise from Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell.
—Brian Brant, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024
Even after that, Jackson had more heroics in store.
—Craig Meyer, The Courier-Journal, 28 Jan. 2024
John Lowenstein Outfielder John Lowenstein was a clutch hitter with his share of postseason heroics.
—Paul McCardell, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2024
Thanks to the heroics of standout rookie quarterback and frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud, the Texans won their division after defeating the Indianapolis Colts in Week 18 and watching the Jacksonville Jaguars lose to the Tennessee Titans.
—Jon Hoefling, The Enquirer, 10 Jan. 2024
Adjective
Kahneman’s careful, doubting mode of doing science was heroic.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
So even the most heroic have to be compromised in some ways.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
In the comments, well-wishers praise his heroic actions.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024
With Monkey Man, Patel offers an allegorical story that combines the technical and heroic sensibilities of his favorite action figures (Bruce Lee, John Wick) with the mythologies rooted in his ethnic identity.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024
In early 2022, much of the world applauded the heroic Ukrainian troops who held back Russian forces outside the gates of Kharkiv and Kyiv.
—Dominic Tierney, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2024
And a move to New York City harks back to the early days of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and the late Harold Ramis in heroic flight suits.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024
Pictures of a mother clutching her baby, a young family cowering in a bomb shelter, and heroic Russian soldiers recall images of World War II, which Russian propagandists routinely use to legitimize the current conflict.
—Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
His protagonists are dispassionate observers, not heroic soldiers: a group of war correspondents, reporters, and photographers trying to sneak through military lines to get at the biggest story in the world.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2024
Noun
One moment, Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi tells a young Luke Skywalker about his father’s heroics and prepares to gift the young boy with his father’s lightsaber.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2024
The Trojans needed heroics at the end of regulation to avert a loss against Arizona on Thursday.
—Jeff Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
Same with those other birds, as the Orioles won the World Series in 1970, besting the Cincinnati Reds 4 games to 1, thanks in large part to the heroics of Brooks Robinson.
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 29 Jan. 2024
Perry did all of his last-minute heroics with four fouls.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024
Musgrove’s heroics have also earned praise from Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell.
—Brian Brant, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024
Even after that, Jackson had more heroics in store.
—Craig Meyer, The Courier-Journal, 28 Jan. 2024
John Lowenstein Outfielder John Lowenstein was a clutch hitter with his share of postseason heroics.
—Paul McCardell, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2024
Thanks to the heroics of standout rookie quarterback and frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud, the Texans won their division after defeating the Indianapolis Colts in Week 18 and watching the Jacksonville Jaguars lose to the Tennessee Titans.
—Jon Hoefling, The Enquirer, 10 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heroic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near heroic
Cite this Entry
“Heroic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heroic. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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