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
Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 20 May 2025
The poignant final scene between June allies Nick and Lawrence saw Minghella and Whitford, who are close friends in real life, reflecting about the heroic former handmaid.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2025
Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 19 May 2025
Ewing suffered a postseason-ending partial Achilles tear in Game 2 of that series, but the Knicks still managed to advance in six games thanks in large part to the late-game heroics of Johnson.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for heroic
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Adjective
The drama Silkwood, based on a true story of a nuclear plant worker who died under mysterious causes, starred Meryl Streep and Kurt Russell, plus Cher in a rare, heroic gay role.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 20 May 2025
The poignant final scene between June allies Nick and Lawrence saw Minghella and Whitford, who are close friends in real life, reflecting about the heroic former handmaid.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2025
Noun
Taylor, 34, had his share of postseason heroics in a Dodgers uniform, including a 2017 NLCS co-MVP and a walk-off home run to eliminate the Cardinals in the 2021 wild-card game.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 19 May 2025
Ewing suffered a postseason-ending partial Achilles tear in Game 2 of that series, but the Knicks still managed to advance in six games thanks in large part to the late-game heroics of Johnson.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 19 May 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 24 May. 2025.
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