heroism
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of heroism
Explanation
When you think of heroism, you might think of great acts of bravery, such as rushing into burning buildings and facing danger in battle. Heroism consists of putting others first, even at your own peril. The noun heroism comes from the Greek hērōs, which referred to a demigod. As someone who shows great courage and valor is referred to as a hero, their actions are considered to be acts of heroism. 19th Century lawyer Robert Green Ingersoll said it well: “When the will defies fear, when duty throws the gauntlet down to fate, when honor scorns to compromise with death — that is heroism.”
Vocabulary lists containing heroism
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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.
The early days of celebration in Israel over the heroism of the passengers has since shifted to concern about security holes that allowed Hammami to be in the cockpit and almost crash the plane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
"An amazing act of heroism -- of his, of the Indian pilot, of the people who helped them. They stopped a disaster that could have been global," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
It wasn't until April 2025 that Russia first acknowledged their role, when Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, described their "heroism" on the battlefield.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
He enters reluctantly, since he knows nothing about baseball, and leaves fired up by the heroism of men like Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
But this girl with the long dreads revealed something else— that love could be soft and understanding; that, soft or hard, love was an act of heroism.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
