heroic

he·ro·ic | \ hi-ˈrō-ik also her-ˈō- or hē-ˈrō-

How to pronounce heroic (audio)

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variants: or less commonly heroical \ hi-ˈrō-i-kəl

How to pronounce heroical (audio)

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Definition of heroic

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

2a : 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

3a : 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

heroic

Definition of heroic (Entry 2 of 2)

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 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

Other Words from heroic Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about heroic

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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: Adjective The film is informative about Tubman and her heroic feats, but there is plenty more to learn by visiting museums and destinations in the Maryland and Washington, D.C. areas. — Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, "'Harriet' is in theaters. Here's where you can learn about Harriet Tubman in real life," 4 Nov. 2019 Scorsese has never bought into facile readings of masculinity: In Taxi Driver, a loner’s fantasies of heroic vigilantism push him beyond his limits. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, "The Irishman May Seem Like a Movie About Old White Men. It's So Much More," 31 Oct. 2019 The film, based on the real-life events of this heroic feat, tells the story of the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude and bravery to overcome the odds. — SFChronicle.com, "‘Midway’," 31 Oct. 2019 Those are critically important problems, and someone very influential and rich who throws his time and money behind solving them could be nothing short of heroic, and Bloomberg has done great work on both. — BostonGlobe.com, "Billionaires beware: Elizabeth Warren is coming for your candy.," 19 Oct. 2019 Many of these pilots were heroic, not to mention wildly lucky, for having flown into combat against Japanese or German forces and lived to tell about it. — Fredrick Kunkle, Washington Post, "Flight of restored B-17 bomber harks back to days when skies were not so blue," 12 Nov. 2019 At least individual death can be unquestionably heroic, sacrifice without qualification. — Kiley Bense, Longreads, "Whose Boots on the Ground," 7 Nov. 2019 Jack Stephens and Jannik Vestegaard were equally as heroic, but Bednarek was the pick of the three. — SI.com, "Manchester City 2-1 Southampton: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Champions Survive Saints Scare," 2 Nov. 2019 Jim Harbaugh: Shea Patterson playing great football, 'heroic' Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. — Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan football says it won't quit, focuses on Notre Dame," 21 Oct. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun That set the stage for Craig’s heroics, who overshadowed Nikola Jokic’s first triple-double of the season. — Mike Singer, The Denver Post, "Torrey Craig’s overtime block saves Nuggets in home opener vs. Suns," 25 Oct. 2019 Despite his FA Cup and Premier League heroics at the club last season, a poor start to the 2019/20 had immediately put his place at Vicarage Road on thin ice. — SI.com, "Newcastle United 1-1 Watford: Reports, Ratings & Reaction as Hornets Hold on for a Point," 31 Aug. 2019 Despite the heroics of Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers and, indeed, that entire electrifying first round series where James carried his Cleveland Cavaliers on those titanic shoulders, this is a journey that doesn’t have much further to travel. — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, "Why LeBron James' NBA playoff ride will come up short," 30 Apr. 2018 This time the late-game heroics came after Philip Rivers threw a 6-yard pass to Austin Ekeler that gave the Chargers (4-6) a 24-20 lead with 4:02 remaining. — BostonGlobe.com, "OAKLAND, Calif. — Derek Carr engineered another late winning drive. Karl Joseph delivered the sealing defensive play.," 8 Nov. 2019 My God, both teams just banging at each other and the close games and the late-inning heroics. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Braves back in Atlanta, where other teams come to celebrate," 8 Oct. 2019 Both teams just banging at each other and the close games and the late-inning heroics. — Maria Torres, Los Angeles Times, "Cardinals’ Jack Flaherty to match up against Braves’ Mike Foltynewicz in NLDS Game 5," 8 Oct. 2019 Typically, the reason that teams are able to come back against Orlando City late is that the team only takes a one-goal lead rather than creating a cushion to fend off any late-game heroics. — Julia Poe, Pro Soccer USA, "Orlando City faces growing frustration over pattern of dropping late-game leads," 27 Sep. 2019 Their first meeting had everything — stylistic clashes, lead changes, late-game heroics — except an outcome in regulation. — Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, "Lamar Jackson vs. Patrick Mahomes could be ‘next Brady-Manning matchup,' Ravens coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale says," 19 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heroic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

30 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Heroic.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heroically?pronunciation&lang=en_us&dir=h&file=heroic03. Accessed 10 December 2019.

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More Definitions for heroic

heroic

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of heroic

: of or relating to heroes

: having or showing great courage

: very large or great in size, amount, etc.

See the full definition for heroic in the English Language Learners Dictionary

heroic

he·ro·ic | \ hi-ˈrō-ik

\

Kids Definition of heroic

1 : of or relating to heroism or heroes heroic tales

2 : courageous, daring a heroic rescue

heroic

he·ro·ic | \ hi-ˈrō-ik also her-ˈō- or hē-ˈrō- \

Medical Definition of heroic

1 : of a kind that is likely to be undertaken only to save life heroic surgery heroic treatment

2 : having a pronounced effect —used chiefly of medicaments or dosage heroic doses a heroic drug

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reiterate

to state or do over again or repeatedly

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