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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
(of style or language) lofty; extravagant; grand.
-
larger than life-size.
a statue of heroic proportions.
noun
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Usually heroics heroic verse.
-
heroics,
-
flamboyant or extravagant language, sentiment, or behavior, intended to seem heroic.
-
heroic action or behavior.
-
adjective
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of, like, or befitting a hero
-
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
- heroically adverb
- heroicalness noun
- heroicity noun
- heroicness 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
- unheroical adjective
- unheroically adverb
- unheroicalness noun
- unheroicness noun
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
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.
To the public, the scandalous spirit rapper Maggie Fox had no business in the heroic story of Dr. Kane of the Arctic.
From Literature
However, in the decades since, many have cast doubt over the supposedly heroic role of the king.
From BBC
But more importantly, what the questions did do was make Duane feel brave and heroic by asking them.
From Literature
Mrie depicts her mother as a mostly heroic figure who encouraged her daughters to obtain an education and pursue careers.
From Los Angeles Times
Attention certainly focused on Hughes’ heroics in overtime.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
