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
But both face a herculean task in catching him, given Malinin’s huge technical advantage over a longer program.
—
Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
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
Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herculean
Adjective
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But having dodged the traps of the social media news era, The Economist now faces looming long-term structural challenges that may be more difficult to avoid.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
23 Feb. 2026
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Frontflips are generally more difficult than backflips for both humans and robots.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Naturalists will take to the property's enormous, 116-year-old Indian banyan tree.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Feb. 2026
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Her fluent Mandarin also gives her access to an enormous market in China, where her face is splashed across billboards and television screens.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The Dorm’s New ‘Frenemy’ Their quest will be all the more challenging when a new friend (or foe) appears in the dorm.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
18 Feb. 2026
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Schedule time with a challenging book, as fresh ideas can soothe moods and moderate your protective instincts.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The residences are huge, and the life is peaceful – at least west of Kyiv.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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The Gardens are relatively easy to navigate, but huge and sprawling.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Takaichi has proposed tougher policies on immigration and foreigners, something that resonates with a growing frustration in Japan.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Bryant was tough to stop and scored nine of her 23 points in the first quarter.—
Justin Vigil Zuniga,
Daily News,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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There is a tremendous drive to acquire money to support the work of faculty and staff.—
Brian Herman,
Fortune,
20 Feb. 2026
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As in most deals that appear to be too good to be true, there is a tremendous cost to this tax credit program.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The Kings believe Hunter and Murray could be a formidable duo at the forward spots, giving the team two long and versatile defenders who can guard multiple positions.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
20 Feb. 2026
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On to Slovakia The Americans now have a semifinal date with a formidable opponent in Slovakia.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The first half of NEE is a gigantic utility powering the state of Florida called Florida Power and Light (FPL).—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
23 Feb. 2026
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But the musical experience would have been far better without competition from a gigantic amateur TV show.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Herculean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herculean. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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