Synonyms of herculean

herculean

adjective

ˌhər-kyə-ˈlē-ən 

1

as in difficult

requiring considerable physical or mental effort

the herculean task of grading 60 student essays over one weekend

Synonyms & Similar Words

• difficult
• challenging
• tough
• formidable
• rigorous
• hard
• demanding
• heavy
• complicated
• arduous
• strenuous
• effortful
• laborious
• backbreaking
• rugged
• rough
• grueling
• exhausting
• severe
• tall
• sweaty
• toilsome
• exacting
• murderous
• intricate
• uphill
• painful
• testing
• killer
• complex
• serious
• hellacious
• stiff
• elusive
• problematic
• annoying
• Augean
• tricky
• stubborn
• onerous
• moiling
• pick-and-shovel
• stressful
• grim
• brutal
• oppressive
• involved
• thorny
• abstruse
• troublesome
• abstract
• irksome
• bruising
• knotty
• burdensome
• hairy
• recondite
• labored
• insoluble
• tight
• opaque
• trying
• ticklish
• strict
• stringent
• vexatious
• spiny
• bothersome
• taxing
• distressing
• grievous
• inhuman
• cruel

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easy
• simple
• effortless
• light
• soft
• cheap
• mindless
• facile
• achievable
• manageable
• undemanding
• clear
• doable
• elementary
• uncomplicated
• smooth
• gentle
• painless
• soothing
• comforting
• relaxed
• friendly
• accessible
• user-friendly
• idiotproof

2

as in enormous

unusually large

a herculean banquet table that took eight men to lift it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• enormous
• huge
• tremendous
• gigantic
• vast
• massive
• colossal
• giant
• mammoth
• immense
• monumental
• astronomical
• titanic
• monstrous
• mountainous
• mighty
• bumper
• big
• monster
• gargantuan
• heroic
• sizable
• prodigious
• grand
• great
• humongous
• cosmic
• oceanic
• elephantine
• mega
• planetary
• considerable
• super
• oversize
• whopping
• cyclopean
• formidable
• galactic
• substantial
• Himalayan
• pharaonic
• handsome
• Brobdingnagian
• jumbo
• vasty
• gigantesque
• good
• majestic
• staggering
• major
• extensive
• supersized
• leviathan
• whacking
• voluminous
• imposing
• hefty
• walloping
• supersize
• king-size
• overwhelming
• super-duper
• stupendous
• outsize
• bulky
• goodly
• tidy
• gross
• infinite
• grandiose
• lofty
• overgrown
• hulking
• largish
• monolithic
• immeasurable
• august
• cavernous
• towering
• boundless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• tiny
• minuscule
• infinitesimal
• diminutive
• microscopic
• miniature
• micro
• bitty
• Lilliputian
• wee
• little bitty
• teensy
• puny
• teeny
• pygmy
• pocket
• small
• minute
• midget
• little
• smallish
• undersized
• petite
• mini
• teeny-weeny
• bantam
• teensy-weensy
• microminiature
• dwarfish
• dinky
• pint-size
• half-pint

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of herculean

Devlin’s installations included three large-scale sculptural interventions, one of which paid homage to the Bayeux Tapestry, on view at the British Museum after a truly herculean loan agreement with France. — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026

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

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