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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in enormous
unusually large
a herculean banquet table that took eight men to lift it
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of herculean
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
Raymond acknowledged he’s faced with a herculean task – not unlike Sisyphus rolling the boulder up the hill at Tartarus in Greek mythology.
—Rick Jervis, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2025
These are smart students who have painstakingly made their way in a herculean fashion through modern med school.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
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
Raymond acknowledged he’s faced with a herculean task – not unlike Sisyphus rolling the boulder up the hill at Tartarus in Greek mythology.
—Rick Jervis, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2025
These are smart students who have painstakingly made their way in a herculean fashion through modern med school.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herculean
Adjective
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Travel could be very difficult to impossible.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
12 Oct. 2025
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This Is My Story While Israel and Hamas have accepted the two-phase agreement, many of the more difficult issues have been left unresolved.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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An enormous hole opens up in the ceiling of Linda’s apartment, flooding the place and forcing her and her daughter to relocate to a motel.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
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However, Mimas also possesses an enormous impact crater (named Herschel), which itself is approximately one-third of the diameter of the entire moon itself.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The mother of five admitted that being away from her family for long periods of time was challenging, but the sacrifice was necessary for Jordan’s athletic development.—
Nasha Smith,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
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The second, more challenging phase — aimed at dismantling Hamas and deciding Gaza’s future leadership — has yet to be negotiated.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Eliminating the need for manual adjustments—whether for meals or for any other changes during the day—would give people with diabetes a tremendous sense of freedom.—
Carrie Arnold,
Scientific American,
14 Oct. 2025
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Much of this has been fueled by a tremendous amount of investment in AI infrastructure, which has driven significant capital formation.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The end result of a tough negotiation that included a nearly two-week blackout of Disney channels on Charter in 2023 was a much closer working relationship between the two.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
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Just a week after giving birth, Menish took her six-hour Evidence exam from home in December 2023 — one of the toughest finals in the curriculum.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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China’s sweeping new restrictions, some of which won’t take effect until November, could deal a huge blow to East Asian economies, such as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, which play critical roles in the global tech and artificial intelligence supply chain, as well as the auto industries.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
13 Oct. 2025
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The Chiefs won a huge game, and Reid played a huge role in putting them in position.—
Sam McDowell
October 13,
Kansas City Star,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Rip currents are formidable natural forces, but knowing how to react can significantly increase your chances of safely navigating these challenging waters.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Oct. 2025
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With the Eagles’ offensive line not as formidable as last season, Barkley was back to his feast or famine style.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Barbie movie in was a gigantic smash in 2023; additional Mattel IP includes Hot Wheels, American Girl, Thomas & Friends, UNO, Masters of the Universe, Matchbox, Monster High, Polly Pocket and Barney.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
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Now it’s happened, and Penn State is paying a gigantic sum to go find a different coach.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Herculean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herculean. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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