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heroic

adjective

hi-ˈrō-ik
variants also heroical
Definition of heroicnext
1
as in courageous
feeling or displaying no fear by temperament a memorial honoring the heroic nurses who served in the war

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in epic
large and impressive in size, grandeur, extent, or conception an opera production of heroic proportions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tremendous
unusually large a heroic statue of Alexander the Great astride his horse

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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 heroic The city has spent the better part of the last week remembering the heroic efforts of those who risked their lives and gave their lives to help the victims of the 9/11 attacks. — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026 There were heroic tales and tragic ones from the battlefield, and more obviously relevant ones to Western readerships such as the impact on European energy prices. — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2026 Several weeks later, a photo of Ladder 118 was featured on the front page of a newspaper, capturing the heroic efforts of the FDNY members on the way to the burning towers. — Cindy Hsu, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026 Reeger became a hero after taking out several Klingon cruisers at the Battle of Zeta Reticuli, but he was actually incapacitated at the time and took the credit for George's heroic actions, stalling Kirk Sr's career in the process. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for heroic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heroic
  1. courageous
  2. epic
  3. tremendous
  4. valiant
  5. glorious
  6. huge
  7. brave
  8. magnificent
Adjective
  • Fine publicly praised his wife following her testimony, describing her as strong and courageous in a statement read outside the courthouse by attorney Douglas Wigdor.
    — Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Why Jaissle and ‘vertical, attacking football’ If bringing in eight players under 24 was courageous, opting for a 38-year-old head coach who had never managed in Europe’s top-five leagues was extremely bold.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of courageous
Adjective
  • The Altman Brothers Team DOUGLAS ELLIMAN Reality stars Josh, Matt and Heather Altman and Jacob Greene had another epic year, with more than $1 billion in deals from July 2025 to July 2026.
    — Hadley Meares, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
  • All around the barricade, Chambers Street had become an aid station of epic proportion.
    — Devin Friedman, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of epic
Adjective
  • Decker had tremendous success at Old Dominion last season, and his quarterback Colton Joseph, now at Wisconsin, was the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year.
    — Antonio Morales, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Her tremendous decision not to share every notification, though unseen by her children, quietly demonstrated her ability to move forward without asking permission from the past.
    — Dr. Victor Fornari, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of tremendous
Adjective
  • Which puts a spotlight on the embarrassing disorder of Expo Park itself (despite valiant efforts from its current leadership, including a parking lot soon to be turned into a park near BMO Stadium).
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Tong’s valiant charge promises to yield returns in the longer term, but CT leadership must do more now to restore Connecticut’s reputation and status as a haven for all families.
    — Dr. SJ Job, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of valiant
Adjective
  • Someone to look up to, a glorious basket of positivity, fun and silliness.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 10 Sep. 2026
  • In what has been a glorious series for England’s pace attack, Gus Atkinson has had a quiet time of it.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of glorious
Adjective
  • The cast’s Blackness is a huge part of this — signifying is in their blood — but the impact spread across the whole franchise.
    — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
  • That was a play with huge ramifications that, to some extent, still sticks with Williams.
    — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of huge
Adjective
  • Watching someone make a brave decision or step into a new version of themselves matters deeply to me.
    — Michelle De Almeida, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • This brave girl fought her way through treatment and is now a happy, healthy survivor ready for the next chapter of her life — a forever home.
    — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of brave
Adjective
  • An ethereal and magnificent display of gas and dust stretches across the cosmos in a spectacular new image captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Just across the square, the Blue Mosque is equally magnificent.
    — Vicki Power, TheWeek, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of magnificent

Browse Nearby Words

heroes
heroic
heroically
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Cite this Entry

“Heroic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heroic. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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