heroic

American  

[hi-roh-ik] / hɪˈroʊ ɪk /

adjective

1. Also heroical of, relating to, or characteristic of a hero or heroine.

   Synonyms:

   courageous, brave, gallant, valorous, valiant, dauntless

   Antonyms:

   cowardly

2. suitable to the character of a hero in size or concept; daring; noble.

   a heroic ambition.

   Synonyms:

   courageous, brave, gallant, valorous, valiant, dauntless

   Antonyms:

   cowardly

3. having or displaying the character or attributes of a hero; extraordinarily bold, altruistic, determined, etc..

   a heroic explorer.

4. having or involving recourse to boldness, daring, or extreme measures.

   Heroic measures were taken to save his life.

5. dealing with or describing the deeds, attributes, etc., of heroes, as in literature.

6. of, relating to, or characteristic of the heroes of antiquity.

   heroic mythology.

7. used in heroic poetry.

   Synonyms:

   epic

8. resembling heroic poetry in language or style; grandiloquent.

9. (of style or language) lofty; extravagant; grand.

10. larger than life-size.

    a statue of heroic proportions.

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noun

1. Usually heroics heroic verse.

2. heroics,

   1. flamboyant or extravagant language, sentiment, or behavior, intended to seem heroic.

   2. heroic action or behavior.

heroic British  

/ hɪˈrəʊɪk /

adjective

1. of, like, or befitting a hero

2. courageous but desperate

3. relating to or treating of heroes and their deeds

4. of, relating to, or resembling the heroes of classical mythology

5. (of language, manner, etc) extravagant

6. prosody of, relating to, or resembling heroic verse

7. (of the arts, esp sculpture) larger than life-size; smaller than colossal

8. RC Church

   1. 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

   2. performed or undergone by such a person

      the heroic witness of martyrdom

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Other Word Forms

• heroicalness
  noun
• heroicity
  noun
• heroicness
  noun
• nonheroicalness
  noun
• nonheroicness
  noun
• unheroicalness
  noun
• unheroicness
  noun
• nonheroic
  adjective
• nonheroical
  adjective
• pseudoheroic
  adjective
• pseudoheroical
  adjective
• quasi-heroic
  adjective
• superheroic
  adjective
• unheroic
  adjective
• unheroical
  adjective
• heroically
  adverb
• nonheroically
  adverb
• pseudoheroically
  adverb
• quasi-heroically
  adverb
• superheroically
  adverb
• unheroically
  adverb

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heroic

"I'm devastated about the loss of three heroic firefighters who died in the line of duty in Western Colorado," he said in a statement.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

A partner at Knight Law Group, an L.A.-based lemon law firm, once billed an “ostensibly heroic but physically impossible” 57.5-hour workday, Ford alleged.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

Now, a few days since his heroic shutout, he’s up to 9.9 million.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

So, buried in the reports are also heroic estimates of the all-time or ”infinite horizon” funding gap.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026

It is a beautiful place, with tiled floors, fine curtains, and heroic statues everywhere.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman

Related Words

• bold
• courageous
• daring
• epic
• fearless
• gallant
• grand
• gutsy
• noble
• valiant