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
Hicks racked up 49 saves in a herculean performance and is 15-0-1 since taking over as the starter at midseason.
—
Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
From the get-go, Lonely reintroduces the herculean energy of her pre-Gladie songwriting.
—Tatiana Tenreyro, Pitchfork, 20 Mar. 2026
Now, local officials in multiple states have begun the herculean work of changing the names of locations and holidays, as well as contemplating the fate of monuments and murals that honor Chavez.
—Daniella Silva, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
The local architect Rob Michel, an expert in midcentury preservation, would in turn oversee the project, which grew into a herculean logistical challenge requiring the coordination of some 100 specialists.
—Felix Wagner, Architectural Digest, 27 Feb. 2026
For Paramount, the road ahead will be paved with key management and strategic decisions, as well as a herculean effort to revitalize two media giants that have often struggled to navigate the streaming era.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
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
Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
From the get-go, Lonely reintroduces the herculean energy of her pre-Gladie songwriting.
—Tatiana Tenreyro, Pitchfork, 20 Mar. 2026
Now, local officials in multiple states have begun the herculean work of changing the names of locations and holidays, as well as contemplating the fate of monuments and murals that honor Chavez.
—Daniella Silva, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
The local architect Rob Michel, an expert in midcentury preservation, would in turn oversee the project, which grew into a herculean logistical challenge requiring the coordination of some 100 specialists.
—Felix Wagner, Architectural Digest, 27 Feb. 2026
For Paramount, the road ahead will be paved with key management and strategic decisions, as well as a herculean effort to revitalize two media giants that have often struggled to navigate the streaming era.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herculean
Adjective
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The Aces scored 26 points off those giveaways, which made things even more difficult on the defense.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
-
Schiraldi oversaw a particularly difficult period on Rikers.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
In the past few years, Russia, at an enormous cost to its own forces, made steady advances on the battlefield (most estimates suggest more than a million Russian soldiers have been killed or injured since the start of the conflict).—
Joshua Yaffa,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
Ferrari has set itself an enormous challenge.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Figuring out how to animate them was challenging.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
13 May 2026
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With more than 7,300 yards of play, this challenging course also allows shorter three- or six-hole loops, perfect for golf vacations with kids who may not be up for an entire 18-hole round.—
Megan duBois,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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Again and again worked Friday night for Blanco, who produced an RBI and triple for Oak Lawn in that huge third to spark a 22-6 victory over host Crete-Monee in five innings in Crete.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
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That will also be a huge difference from the Orbán regime, when there was no responsibility or consequences of any crime, any political mistake.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
Chase Meidroth made a shuffle toss to second base for a force out, but the Sox couldn’t complete what would have been a tough double play.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
Our legislators must make some tough decisions; avoiding the issues is not acceptable.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
First, the incoming object blasted material outward at tremendous speed, excavating deep layers of the moon.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
9 May 2026
-
Obviously, what Mark Davis has done is tremendous in Las Vegas, and really investing in that team.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
Last month, despite Orbán’s formidable, long-standing attempts to rig the legal and electoral systems in his favor, Magyar won, in a stunning upset.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
-
Stockton, who formed a formidable tandem with fellow Jazz superstar Karl Malone, is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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Another executive said any potential trade package would be gigantic.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
-
Upside-down performers hang from a gigantic bell, clanging their torsos against the metal.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Herculean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herculean. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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