heroic
Americanadjective
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Also heroical of, relating to, or characteristic of a hero or heroine.
- Antonyms:
- cowardly
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suitable to the character of a hero in size or concept; daring; noble.
a heroic ambition.
- Antonyms:
- cowardly
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having or displaying the character or attributes of a hero; extraordinarily bold, altruistic, determined, etc..
a heroic explorer.
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having or involving recourse to boldness, daring, or extreme measures.
Heroic measures were taken to save his life.
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dealing with or describing the deeds, attributes, etc., of heroes, as in literature.
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of, relating to, or characteristic of the heroes of antiquity.
heroic mythology.
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used in heroic poetry.
- Synonyms:
- epic
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resembling heroic poetry in language or style; grandiloquent.
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(of style or language) lofty; extravagant; grand.
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larger than life-size.
a statue of heroic proportions.
noun
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Usually heroics heroic verse.
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heroics,
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flamboyant or extravagant language, sentiment, or behavior, intended to seem heroic.
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heroic action or behavior.
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adjective
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of, like, or befitting a hero
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courageous but desperate
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relating to or treating of heroes and their deeds
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of, relating to, or resembling the heroes of classical mythology
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(of language, manner, etc) extravagant
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prosody of, relating to, or resembling heroic verse
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(of the arts, esp sculpture) larger than life-size; smaller than colossal
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RC Church
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held to such a degree as to enable a person to perform virtuous actions with exceptional promptness, ease and pleasure, and with self-abnegation and self-control
heroic virtue
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performed or undergone by such a person
the heroic witness of martyrdom
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Other Word Forms
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heroicallyadverb
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heroicalnessnoun
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heroicitynoun
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heroicnessnoun
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nonheroicadjective
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nonheroicaladjective
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nonheroicallyadverb
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nonheroicalnessnoun
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nonheroicnessnoun
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pseudoheroicadjective
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pseudoheroicaladjective
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pseudoheroicallyadverb
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quasi-heroicadjective
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quasi-heroicallyadverb
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superheroicadjective
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superheroicallyadverb
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unheroicadjective
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unheroicaladjective
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unheroicallyadverb
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unheroicalnessnoun
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unheroicnessnoun
Etymology
Origin of heroic
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin hērōicus, from Greek hērōïkós “of, pertaining to a hero”; hero + -ic; compare late Middle English heroical, heroicus
Explanation
Heroic means having the qualities of a hero, such as bravery. Maybe on your daily walk, you see a house on fire, and you run into the flames repeatedly to save the family and their pets, including the fish! That’s heroic. Literature offers many examples of heroic characters, who by their strength or their wiles or both overcame almost impossible obstacles. In Greek mythology, Hercules was given seven seemingly impossible tasks that he completed with heroic daring, Achilles was a warrior whose accomplishments in battle were heroic, and Odysseus showed his heroic qualities as he conquered monsters and men in his journey home.
Vocabulary lists containing heroic
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 3
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Positive Words to Describe a Person
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Appeared in the February 3, 2026, print edition as 'Don’t Betray Syria’s Heroic Kurds'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026
After a night of jubilation in Dakar, the morning newspapers were ebullient: "Heroic!"
From Barron's • Jan. 19, 2026
When the advisory committee declined to recommend acceptance of Lykos’ application, the Heroic Hearts Project veterans group published a statement claiming “ICER relied on” Devenot and Psymposia while drafting the report.
From Slate • Mar. 7, 2025
Heroic was the word for most, if not all performers in green, but Schmeichel especially.
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2025
Heroic rescues are not as glamorous as people imagine, I thought as I squished along in the muck.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
