variants
or less commonly heroical
1
: of or relating to courageous people or the mythological or legendary figures of antiquity : of, relating to, resembling, or suggesting heroes especially of antiquity
heroic legends
the heroic age
2
a
: exhibiting or marked by courage and daring
It was a heroic decision.
b
: supremely noble or self-sacrificing
a heroic gesture
received medals for their heroic actions
3
a
: of impressive size, power, extent, or effect
a heroic voice
b(1)
: of great intensity : extreme
heroic effort
(2)
: of a kind that is likely only to be undertaken to save a life
heroic surgery
4
: of, relating to, or constituting drama written during the Restoration in heroic couplets and concerned with a conflict between love and honor
1
: a verse or poem written during the Restoration using rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter and concerned with a conflict between love and honor : a heroic verse or poem
2
heroics
hi-ˈrō-iks 
also her-ˈō-,
or hē-ˈrō-
plural
a
: flamboyantly boastful language or action
avoids heroics in his writing
b
: courageous, noble, or self-sacrificing action or behavior : heroic action or behavior
the heroics of the civil rights movement
c
: determined effort especially in the face of difficulty
Examples of heroic in a Sentence
Adjective
It was heroic of those women to fight for the right to vote.
The soldiers received medals for their heroic actions.
Despite heroic efforts to save the business, it ultimately went bankrupt.
a political battle of heroic proportions
Recent Examples on the Web
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
The history of the news media is filled with heroic efforts of reporters at war fronts – from Edward R. Murrow during World War II’s London Blitz to CBS News’s Dan Rather and Morley Safer in Vietnam to Tyler Hicks covering Afghanistan for 20 years for the New York Times.
—Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Mike Jones, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Ohtani’s heroics also helped the Dodgers set the record for consecutive victories to open a season by a defending World Series champion.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heroic
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Adjective
Internet users were gripped by Chewy's antics and the heroic rescue, leading to more than 4,200 comments on the TikTok post so far.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
The history of the news media is filled with heroic efforts of reporters at war fronts – from Edward R. Murrow during World War II’s London Blitz to CBS News’s Dan Rather and Morley Safer in Vietnam to Tyler Hicks covering Afghanistan for 20 years for the New York Times.
—Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Noun
In the last two seasons, while boasting top-10 defenses and dealing with injuries at the wide receiver position, Kansas City’s approach largely centered on relying on the defense to keep things close and then turn things over to Mahomes for late-game heroics.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Ohtani’s heroics also helped the Dodgers set the record for consecutive victories to open a season by a defending World Series champion.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heroic
Cite this Entry
“Heroic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heroic. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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