herculean

adjective

ˌhər-kyə-ˈlē-ən How to pronounce herculean (audio)
Definition of herculeannext
1
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort the herculean task of grading 60 student essays over one weekend

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in enormous
unusually large a herculean banquet table that took eight men to lift it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of herculean 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 However, SpaceX would need to 10x in three or four years to reach $1 trillion—a herculean feat given that bullish analysts have projected less than half that for 2030. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026 The commission’s remit amounts to a herculean task for the future. — Taylor Luck, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Aug. 2026 Redirecting technological change toward pro-worker AI will also involve even more herculean undertakings. — Daron Acemoglu, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026 Something as simple as trying to eat a burger became a herculean ordeal. — Rachel Hale, USA Today, 24 June 2026 Despite the herculean efforts of Nowell, original members Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson, and producer Jon Joseph, listening to Until the Sun Explodes feels like scraping up the resin left behind by OG Sublime in the hopes of getting high. — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 15 June 2026 Despite his herculean postseason, a succession plan will be needed at some point. — Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 12 June 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herculean
  1. difficult
  2. enormous
  3. challenging
  4. huge
  5. tough
  6. tremendous
  7. formidable
  8. gigantic
Adjective
  • Establishing that sense of familiarity requires time spent playing and training together, something made more difficult by a constant carousel of new signings.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Nugraha said difficult terrain has complicated efforts, with some hotspots located on steep volcanic slopes that are difficult to reach by land.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • The frankly enormous soaking tub in black-and-white tile and equally capacious steam shower share the room, though the toilet sits in a private water closet.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Aug. 2026
  • That mind is a model, an enormous statistical object assembled by feeding it a quantity of text and images nobody has ever fully itemized.
    — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of enormous
Adjective
  • Enforcing the new ordinance is not as challenging as critics charge, Boone said.
    — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • In Tony, Bourdain not only flees to Provincetown to follow Nancy, but also to escape his challenging relationship with his parents, Gladys and Pierre Bourdain.
    — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of challenging
Adjective
  • Videos circulating on social media, and geolocated by CNN, show a huge blaze raging and plumes of smoke rising from an area just outside the city, close to what appear to be the characteristic towers of an oil refinery.
    — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The fight is huge for everyone involved, the network and promoters included.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of huge
Adjective
  • Coventry, for example, face Manchester City away in Gameweek Three, while some of the teams worth targeting early like Manchester United, Chelsea and Sunderland have tougher fixtures in Gameweeks Three or Four.
    — Abdul Rehman, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • This summer has seen a confluence of challenges, including excessive heat that allows food contamination to grow and a pathogen that’s particularly tough to pin down.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • Why Adaptable People Can Still Feel Stuck Adaptability gets a tremendous amount of attention in conversations about the future of work, and for good reason.
    — Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • As the largest institutional purchaser of firearms in the United States, governments have tremendous power to shape the market.
    — Kris Brown, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of tremendous
Adjective
  • Webber seemed the perfect fit for Golden State and Nelson, and a bigger, more athletic Warriors team seemed to have a more formidable Big Three in Webber, Owens and second-year guard Latrell Sprewell, with Mullin still on hand as well.
    — Carl Steward, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Leykin, 19, is a formidable challenger, placing in the top five on four apparatuses.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of formidable
Adjective
  • With a little critical thinking, most reasonable people would conclude that this is not how a gigantic company like OpenAI would handle an incident like this.
    — Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
  • In Homewood on Tuesday, gigantic piles of mulch, tree limbs, and branches were already lying around from storms that hit earlier in the summer.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of gigantic

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Cite this Entry

“Herculean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herculean. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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