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herculean

adjective

ˌhər-kyə-ˈlē-ən How to pronounce herculean (audio)
Definition of herculeannext
1
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort the herculean task of grading 60 student essays over one weekend

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in enormous
unusually large a herculean banquet table that took eight men to lift it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of herculean The task of containing Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak would have been herculean in any circumstance. — Amesh Adalja, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2026 George Lucas, for his part, has suggested that bringing the Lucas Museum to fruition—a project beset by delays and controversy that has taken nearly a decade to realize—was a herculean effort. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2026 The herculean effort For residents in a small community known as Rainbow Hill, the outlook is dire. — Megan Schrader, Denver Post, 27 Aug. 2026 The novel caught on slowly through word of mouth, aided by the herculean efforts of his niece Aron Ritchie, who found ways to increase the book’s visibility. — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2026 Even the herculean efforts to acquire capabilities for the conflict with Iran largely amounted to a collection of waivers, special actions, and brute-force leadership. — Doug Beck, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 Viewed through a 2026 lens, this now antiquated process seems like a herculean undertaking, one that somehow worked. — Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 Republicans started laying the groundwork for the herculean task of flipping Michigan the day after Rogers lost to Slotkin. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 6 Aug. 2026 The commission’s remit amounts to a herculean task for the future. — Taylor Luck, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herculean
  1. difficult
  2. enormous
  3. challenging
  4. huge
  5. tough
  6. tremendous
  7. formidable
  8. gigantic
Adjective
  • The outbreak is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fueled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers' strike and intense population movements.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
  • And widespread adoption by farmers is challenging because perennial crops don’t yield as much, harvesting can be difficult and the market still is developing.
    — Joshua A. Bickel, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • Write, make something, tell the story differently, or simply notice what now seems funny that once felt enormous.
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • In 1996, Hamad founded Al Jazeera, a news network that gave the emirate enormous cultural influence throughout the region.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of enormous
Adjective
  • A student who is laughing while solving a challenging problem is still learning.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Was working in the feature-length format freeing or more challenging?
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of challenging
Adjective
  • First, because of the huge jump in salary when Pelle Larsson’s extension kicks in for 2027-28.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
  • That led to the rest of the tour’s openers and even Sheeran’s backing band for the tour dropping off the tour in solidarity with Macklemore — all of which became a huge news story and PR nightmare for the usually very un-controversial Sheeran.
    — Brendan Menapace, Billboard, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of huge
Adjective
  • North of the Thai capital Bangkok, rice farmers like 55-year-old Boonmark Marksuuk are already facing tough choices.
    — EDNA TARIGAN, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Zahnd, first elected in 2002, had a career defined by high-profile cases and solidified Platte County’s tough-on-crime reputation.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • For most of the season, Young was a plus defender, and the Mets saw tremendous improvements at the position.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Merz, a conservative, is facing tremendous pressure in the wake of the far-right AfD's landslide state election victory in Saxony-Anhalt last week.
    — Anna Noryskiewicz, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of tremendous
Adjective
  • The decision to construct the film around precisely five-minute takes presents a formidable formal and technical challenge.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The Gateway defense was formidable, forcing seven negative plays in the first half, including four sacks, and limited the Eagles to 12 second-half snaps and one first down.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of formidable
Adjective
  • Robinson is more like the Carolina McCaffrey though, who was still gigantic.
    — Michael Salfino, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The flavor is overwhelmingly oversized, proving that few things look as luxurious as swimming around in a gigantic khaki coat.
    — Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of gigantic

Browse Nearby Words

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herculean
herd
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Cite this Entry

“Herculean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herculean. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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