heroic

[hi-roh-ik]

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.

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

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of heroic¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin hērōicus, from Greek hērōïkós “of, pertaining to a hero”; hero + -ic; compare late Middle English heroical, heroicus

Example Sentences

You don’t need to be heroic to make people feel welcome.

Read more on Salon

Kapp fell with 70 still needed to bring De Klerk - fresh from her heroics against India - to the middle, and for a time it seemed that she and Tryon would get South Africa home comfortably.

Read more on BBC

A heroic Ukraine roused a performance of spirit, endeavour and courage to stun Scotland and earn a historic World Cup play-off final against Wales.

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“I don’t even know where to begin to try to recap all the heroic efforts that went into today,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said afterward, “from one guy to the next.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Powered by Judge’s heroics, the Yankees turned an early 6-1 deficit into a dramatic 9-6 win, staving off elimination in this best-of-five American League Division Series for at least one more day.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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