Sisyphus
noun
Sis·y·phus
ˈsi-sə-fəs 
: a legendary king of Corinth condemned eternally to repeatedly roll a heavy rock up a hill in Hades only to have it roll down again as it nears the top
Examples of Sisyphus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jeff Probst reminds Mike White of Sisyphus, the mythological king cursed to spend eternity trying, and failing, to push an enormous boulder up a steep slope.
—
David Canfield, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
Oh, there’s more than a bit of Sisyphus rolling the rock uphill here.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 12 Jan. 2026
The song may be six minutes long, but the circuitous lope of his acoustic-guitar strum and low throb of his warbling feel eternal, like the type of tune Sisyphus might have hummed to keep himself company.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Set against a stunning backdrop inspired by Ancient Greece, from boulder-rolling challenges inspired by Sisyphus to tense encounters with Medusa’s gaze, every quest determines the players that earn the strategic power to decide who visits Pandora’s Box.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
In Venice, François Ozon debuted a take on Albert Camus’ The Stranger, the notoriously philosophical text about a French Algerian settler and the myth of Sisyphus.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Belly’s response is meant to come off sweet, but instead is both withering and accurate, because no 10-year-old should be that familiar with the myth of Sisyphus or the curse of endless toil.
—Thomas Page, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
Raymond acknowledged he’s faced with a herculean task – not unlike Sisyphus rolling the boulder up the hill at Tartarus in Greek mythology.
—Rick Jervis, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2025
The first — Nietzsche’s 1881 Eternal Recurrence — is a life test by design, echoing Camus’ Sisyphus.
—Shai Tubali, Big Think, 5 Aug. 2025
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David Canfield, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
Oh, there’s more than a bit of Sisyphus rolling the rock uphill here.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 12 Jan. 2026
The song may be six minutes long, but the circuitous lope of his acoustic-guitar strum and low throb of his warbling feel eternal, like the type of tune Sisyphus might have hummed to keep himself company.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Set against a stunning backdrop inspired by Ancient Greece, from boulder-rolling challenges inspired by Sisyphus to tense encounters with Medusa’s gaze, every quest determines the players that earn the strategic power to decide who visits Pandora’s Box.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
In Venice, François Ozon debuted a take on Albert Camus’ The Stranger, the notoriously philosophical text about a French Algerian settler and the myth of Sisyphus.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Belly’s response is meant to come off sweet, but instead is both withering and accurate, because no 10-year-old should be that familiar with the myth of Sisyphus or the curse of endless toil.
—Thomas Page, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
Raymond acknowledged he’s faced with a herculean task – not unlike Sisyphus rolling the boulder up the hill at Tartarus in Greek mythology.
—Rick Jervis, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2025
The first — Nietzsche’s 1881 Eternal Recurrence — is a life test by design, echoing Camus’ Sisyphus.
—Shai Tubali, Big Think, 5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sisyphus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Sisyphus. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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