definitions

heroic

[ hi-roh-ik ]
/ hɪˈroʊ ɪk /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR heroic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

noun

Usually heroics. heroic verse.
heroics,
  1. flamboyant or extravagant language, sentiment, or behavior, intended to seem heroic.
  2. heroic action or behavior.

RELATED CONTENT

English Expressions From India That We Should All Be UsingIndia is a top contender for using English in the most creative ways. We love these Indian English expressions so much, we have one question for the country: Can we use them, too?
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

gallant, noble, daring, fearless, gutsy, valiant, grand, epic, courageous, bold, elevated, classic, dauntless, doughty, exaggerated, grandiose, gritty, high-flown, inflated, intrepid

Nearby words

herod the great, herodian, herodians, herodias, herodotus, heroic, heroic age, heroic couplet, heroic drama, heroic poem, heroic quatrain

Origin of heroic

1540–50; < Latin hērōicus < Greek hērōïkós of, pertaining to a hero; compare late Middle English heroical, heroicus; see hero, -ic
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for heroic

British Dictionary definitions for heroic

heroic

heroical

/ (hɪˈrəʊɪk) /

adjective

See also heroics
Derived Formsheroically, adverbheroicalness or heroicness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for heroic

heroic

adj.

1540s, shortened from heroical (early 15c.), also heroycus "noble, magnanimous," from Latin heroicus "of a hero, heroic, mythical," from Greek heroikos "pertaining to heroes," from heros (see hero (n.1)). Earlier was heroical (early 15c.). The Heroic Age in Greece was the time before the return of the armies from the fall of Troy. Related: Heroically. Heroic verse (1610s), decasyllabic iambic, is from Italian.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for heroic

heroic

[ hĭ-rō′ĭk ]

adj.

Relating to a risky medical procedure that may endanger the patient but also has a possibility of being successful, whereas lesser action would result in failure.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.