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
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
But unseating Healey in Democrat and progressive Massachusetts will be a herculean task.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
The end result would be a chill bar night in our town in suburban Tacoma, Washington, for which Zachary felt a deep ambivalence; persuading him to attend the 10-year had already been a herculean task.
—Jordan Michelman, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
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
But unseating Healey in Democrat and progressive Massachusetts will be a herculean task.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
The end result would be a chill bar night in our town in suburban Tacoma, Washington, for which Zachary felt a deep ambivalence; persuading him to attend the 10-year had already been a herculean task.
—Jordan Michelman, The Atlantic, 4 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
-
The deep dive into the Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein director, who will turn 100 in June, features interviews with collaborators and acolytes like Rob Reiner and Judd Apatow, who recount his spectacular rise to fame and enormous influence.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Jan. 2026
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Hypersonic flight has enormous military and civilian potential.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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But advocates say this year has been the most challenging.—
Ubah Ali,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Purple proved to be the most challenging.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Clara Silva’s defense was huge, with the sophomore center having multiple blocks and making the Sun Devils consider and reconsider every shot at the rim.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Jan. 2026
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Workers are rapidly being asked to apply human judgment and insight to a huge load of content that AI is generating for them, and historically, those types of skillsets take 10 years to build, said Aashna Kircher, group general manager for the office of the CHRO at Workday.—
Kristin Stoller,
Fortune,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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After a rocky two years, the luxury industry is expected to carry its third-quarter recovery into Q4, despite some tough comparables.—
Laure Guilbault,
Vogue,
15 Jan. 2026
-
That hope ended on July 3, 2025 when Michael, the charismatic tough guy actor known for his memorable roles in Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs, died of cardiac arrest at 67 years old after a long struggle with alcoholism.—
Liz McNeil,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Here currently in the United States backed by the courts, the legislative branch and the Justice Department, our president has acquired tremendous power.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
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The light beam distance of 80 meters, or approximately 260 feet, provides a tremendous field of view from three different LEDs.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The service Aside from a formidable restaurant and spa, the service sets this hotel apart from other country boutiques in Sicily.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
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The hardy parasite is also highly attuned to threats and responds with formidable defense mechanisms — prolonging a treatment process that’s already months to years long and often fraught with other hurdles and pain.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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There’s also a massive leg lumbering in the distance which could be a Sentinel, the gigantic, mutant-hunting robots that are some of X-Men’s most iconic villains.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
6 Jan. 2026
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Chaplin holds many vestiges of its former ownership, from an old saw mill and furnace from when Chaplin was making his films, to his footsteps, to a gigantic set of muppet eyes overlooking the soundstage room.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Herculean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herculean. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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