epic

1 of 2

noun

ep·​ic ˈe-pik How to pronounce epic (audio)
1
: a long narrative poem in elevated style recounting the deeds of a legendary or historical hero
the Iliad and the Odyssey are epics
2
: a work of art (such as a novel or drama) that resembles or suggests an epic
3
: a series of events or body of legend or tradition thought to form the proper subject of an epic
the epic of the winning of the West

epic

2 of 2

adjective

1
a
: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an epic
epic poets
The Divine Comedy, an epic poem of more than 14,000 lines whose original manuscript has never been found …Richard McGill Murphy
This epic American story traces family lives over generations until they're rocked by another scandal that spills their secrets onto a public stage.Carrie Rollwagon
b
: of, relating to, resembling, or suggestive of heroes especially of antiquity : heroic
epic bravery
epic deeds
2
: extending beyond the usual or ordinary especially in size or scope
an epic achievement
epic struggles
… a packed lineup of lectures, demonstrations, re-enactments and other events will commemorate the anniversary of the epic 1836 Alamo siege and battle—13 days that made the site famous.Scott Huddleston
That's how these simple questions end up fueling debates of epic proportion.Madeline Buxton
An uptick in earnings among riskier U.S. companies is bolstering investor confidence that an epic rally in junk bonds can last a little longer.Sam Goldfarb
broadly, informal : extraordinary, impressive
In the meantime, start planning your epic pillow forts (and Sunday afternoon naps). Caroline Picard
Everyone is in agreement: this photobomb is totally epic. Caroline Alkire
epical adjective
epically adverb

Did you know?

Does epic mean "impressive" or just "big"?

When epic began to be used as an adjective in English it was in specific reference to the characteristics of the type of poem that bears the same name. A couple of centuries passed, and the word’s meaning came to describe other kinds of works, aside from poetry, which had similarly grand characteristics. More recently, epic has been found used in a highly colloquial fashion, in a manner that is largely synonymous with outstanding, fabulous, or impressive. Before you pass judgment on whether this new sense of epic is acceptable to you or not, you might want to consider that all the words that this sense is synonymous with have also changed their meanings dramatically: outstanding originally described something that projected or stuck out, fabulous had to do with fables, and impressive used to mean “capable of being impressed.”

Examples of epic in a Sentence

Noun Homer's ancient Greek epic “The Odyssey”. Adjective The football game was an epic battle between two great teams. The bridge was an epic achievement. The company is engaged in an epic struggle for survival. an accomplishment of epic proportions
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1987 epic The Last Emperor, which ended up being nominated for and winning nine Oscars, including best picture. Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Oct. 2024 The historical epic, having depicted the 7.9-magnitude Great Kantō earthquake in season 1, continues with big moments in history this season — namely, the United States' atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 11 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Their epic romance is upended when she’s diagnosed with cancer, calling their future into question. Eric Andersson, People.com, 18 Oct. 2024 An epic, year-long journey would follow, a trek plagued by perils across multiple countries and continents, yet one also fueled by hopes of a better life. Patrick Snell, CNN, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for epic 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'epic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin epicus, from Greek epikos, from epos word, speech, poem — more at voice

First Known Use

Noun

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of epic was in 1583

Dictionary Entries Near epic

Cite this Entry

“Epic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epic. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

epic

1 of 2 adjective
ep·​ic ˈep-ik How to pronounce epic (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or being like an epic
an epic poem
2
: unusually long or great in size or scope
epic genius

epic

2 of 2 noun
: a long poem telling of the deeds of a hero and often centering on the ideals of a nation or culture

More from Merriam-Webster on epic

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