1
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
the herculean task of grading 60 student essays over one weekend
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2
as in enormous
unusually large
a herculean banquet table that took eight men to lift it
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Recent Examples of herculean
While finding a new species in plain sight might seem simple, catching the birds – a relatively common sight in the Galapagos – proved a herculean task.
—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2026
Yet expert after expert told me that rebooting the country’s oil industry would require a herculean effort.
—Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
There is demand for more walkable communities but to carve out that kind of space would require herculean effort, involving the purchase of land, the demolition of buildings and approval to convert precious real estate into pedestrian zones.
—Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
At a distance, emulating the success of household names can feel like a herculean task.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
Sherrill has the herculean task of convincing New Jersey voters to keep Democrats in power.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2025
The ideology was corporatist, with the startup as the platonic economic-political formation, which made startup founders herculean figures.
—Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
The herculean effort to translate its gargantuan script didn’t pay off and as a result, the outlook of XSeed localizing Trails in the Sky Second Chapter (SC) and Third Chapter (TC) remained grim for years.
—George Yang, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
That would be a herculean task.
—Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 30 Sep. 2025
Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2026
Yet expert after expert told me that rebooting the country’s oil industry would require a herculean effort.
—Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
There is demand for more walkable communities but to carve out that kind of space would require herculean effort, involving the purchase of land, the demolition of buildings and approval to convert precious real estate into pedestrian zones.
—Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
At a distance, emulating the success of household names can feel like a herculean task.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
Sherrill has the herculean task of convincing New Jersey voters to keep Democrats in power.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2025
The ideology was corporatist, with the startup as the platonic economic-political formation, which made startup founders herculean figures.
—Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
The herculean effort to translate its gargantuan script didn’t pay off and as a result, the outlook of XSeed localizing Trails in the Sky Second Chapter (SC) and Third Chapter (TC) remained grim for years.
—George Yang, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
That would be a herculean task.
—Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herculean
Adjective
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Business leaders, of course, have their own interests and shareholders to serve, but Democrats can still protect the public interest while giving CEOs a seat at the table to reach pragmatic answers to difficult questions like these.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
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Activist groups say hundreds of people have been killed, though the true toll remains difficult to verify due to the internet blackout and tight state controls on information.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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At its heart is a 38-meter-high domed lounge with dazzling gold-and-maroon Islamic fretwork walls and an enormous chandelier.—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Modern society has fully embraced the label, placing enormous value on intellect and IQ.—
Jasna Hodžić,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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If some species can continue reproducing even under challenging conditions, that resilience could buy ecosystems valuable time.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Much of Shrinking revolves around people going through challenging times and healing through finding love, such as Paul (Harrison Ford) beginning a relationship with his doctor.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The final project aims to blend elements from space sims, first-person shooters, MMOs, and more into a massive amalgamation set in a huge, persistent universe.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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The Senate passed a package funding huge chunks of the federal government through September but setting a two-week stopwatch on the expiration of Homeland Security funding.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Going through a severe injury is probably the toughest thing an athlete can go through.—
DJ Siddiqi,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
More companies are dialing back flexible work schedules and mandating that employees return to the office part-time or full-time, forcing women into tough situations.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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And the country has tremendous long-term potential.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
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There is little doubt that this is a rapidly developing field and that there are tremendous upsides to be had, but at the same time, regrettably, hidden risks and outright gotchas come into these endeavors, too.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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But Isbell runs the race on a stark and formidable solo album and a batting average of six wins for eight nods (prior to this year’s three more).—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
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Van Scoyoc and Cohen will be a formidable one-two duo for Palos Verdes.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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These stray images were then blasted away by a blazing sun that completely filled the space of awareness before transforming itself into a gigantic eyeball—a sighted sun with a black circle of iris.—
Michael Pollan,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
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An ending to the story of this gigantic resource has yet to be written.—
Scott Montgomery,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Herculean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herculean. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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