hi-ˈrō-ik
variants
also heroical
1
as in courageous
feeling or displaying no fear by temperament
a memorial honoring the heroic nurses who served in the war
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in epic
large and impressive in size, grandeur, extent, or conception
an opera production of heroic proportions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in monumental
unusually large
a heroic statue of Alexander the Great astride his horse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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heroic efforts
a heroic figure
heroic proportions
monumental proportions
mythic proportions
enormous proportions
gigantic proportions
epic proportions
heroic deeds
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heroic
Monday, a crazed gunman attacked the office building housing the NFL with an AR-15 assault rifle, killing four, among them a heroic member of the NYPD.
—
Greg Marotta, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2025
None more so than England captain Ben Stokes, who has finally been forced to concede defeat in his heroic attempt to bowl and bat his side to victory almost single-handed because of an injury born out of a brutal workload and relentless calendar.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 31 July 2025
At a Liberty game at the Barclays Center a few days later, the team’s heroic mascot, Ellie the Elephant, carried a miniature purse with a Labubu attached.
—Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 31 July 2025
Last year, Egerton played heroic TSA agent Ethan Kopek in Jaume Collet-Serra’s Carry-On, which is now Netflix’s second-most popular film of all time.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for heroic
Greg Marotta, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2025
None more so than England captain Ben Stokes, who has finally been forced to concede defeat in his heroic attempt to bowl and bat his side to victory almost single-handed because of an injury born out of a brutal workload and relentless calendar.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 31 July 2025
At a Liberty game at the Barclays Center a few days later, the team’s heroic mascot, Ellie the Elephant, carried a miniature purse with a Labubu attached.
—Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 31 July 2025
Last year, Egerton played heroic TSA agent Ethan Kopek in Jaume Collet-Serra’s Carry-On, which is now Netflix’s second-most popular film of all time.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for heroic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heroic
Adjective
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Selby has lived a big, courageous life, and that largesse is evident on every page, in the form of the rigor and curiosity of the narrative voice.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
12 Aug. 2025
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Now more than ever, Uncle Sam will be looking for courageous insiders to step forward to ensure that the promise to treat disease doesn’t become an opportunity to fleece taxpayers instead.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Once the massive task of harvesting is complete (in 2023, Dothan’s Houston County harvested more than 89 million pounds), the town—in true Southern fashion—throws down for one epic celebration known as the National Peanut Festival.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
7 Aug. 2025
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What might seem a perverse choice reveals itself, over Dry Leaf’s epic length, as a brilliant thematic gesture that elicits its own temporal register.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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This would be a monumental step in the long-term partnership between WWE and Saudi Arabia.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Aug. 2025
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Kansas City officials and volunteers are facing a monumental task, after hundreds of tires were found illegally dumped.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee,
Kansas City Star,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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While valiant efforts have been made to protect and preserve some of Florida’s wild places, the pace of preservation has not kept pace with the pace of loss.—
Joe Murphy,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Aug. 2025
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But after a valiant comeback effort, Pete Alonso struck out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, and an error by third baseman Brett Baty in the top of the 10th handed the Guardians back the lead.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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When our planet crosses through such a path, these bits of rock and dust burn up in our atmosphere in a glorious spectacle.—
Clara Moskowitz,
Scientific American,
11 Aug. 2025
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And that level, quite literally, is on high in an evil genius’ tower akin to Universal Studios' glorious black and white monster movies that began in the 1930s — a genre that Burton has been inspired by before, most prominently in his 2012 stop-motion classic Frankenweenie.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Grab your telescope and aim it at Saturn in the early morning hours of Aug. 19 to see Titan's colossal shadow sweep across the majestic gas giant's cloud tops.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
16 Aug. 2025
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The film is a colossal hit, so surely that must be working out great for Sony, right?—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Lucio — leggy, brave, sturdy in the challenge — is probably more appropriate as a reference point.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
8 Aug. 2025
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Today this material can seal pipes and brave the ocean.—
Andrea Tamayo,
Scientific American,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The celebration at the majestic 146-year-old mansion is the latest in a string of major improvements in the working-class section of Nashville that runs from the airport to the Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell noted after the ceremony.—
Brad Schmitt,
The Tennessean,
11 Aug. 2025
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The scenic appeal is undeniable, nature’s majestic prose both frames and dwarfs the tumultuous affectations of the characters.—
Holly Jones,
Variety,
11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heroic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heroic. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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