hi-ˈrō-ik
variants
also heroical
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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heroic
Because the engine to pay for heroism has become heroic in its own right — endlessly inventive, strategically brilliant, and almost entirely disconnected from the patient whose name appears at the top of the page.
—
Darshak Sanghavi, STAT, 3 June 2026
This nearly paid off in a game-tying home run by Peyton Sciulli, but Rockets center fielder Ellie Russo made a heroic grab, falling into the temporary fence while maintaining possession.
—Jack Murray, Boston Herald, 3 June 2026
Ella Forystek, Jolie Kolosh, Aly Sudkamp and Millikin recruit Taylor Watt led a heroic defensive effort in front of Meyer for Lincoln-Way Central (19-3-1), while Jules Rafacz converted her team’s lone successful penalty kick.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
The Fierros and their daughter Kassy were in attendance that night, and Rich tackled, disarmed and beat the gunman in a heroic act that police said saved many lives.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for heroic
Darshak Sanghavi, STAT, 3 June 2026
This nearly paid off in a game-tying home run by Peyton Sciulli, but Rockets center fielder Ellie Russo made a heroic grab, falling into the temporary fence while maintaining possession.
—Jack Murray, Boston Herald, 3 June 2026
Ella Forystek, Jolie Kolosh, Aly Sudkamp and Millikin recruit Taylor Watt led a heroic defensive effort in front of Meyer for Lincoln-Way Central (19-3-1), while Jules Rafacz converted her team’s lone successful penalty kick.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
The Fierros and their daughter Kassy were in attendance that night, and Rich tackled, disarmed and beat the gunman in a heroic act that police said saved many lives.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for heroic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heroic
Adjective
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Perkin described his wife as inventive and courageous in her art.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 June 2026
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Nearly four decades later, as cuts to HIV prevention and treatment programs threaten to unravel years of progress, Earle’s story remains a testament to the power of courageous action.—
Christina Ray Stanton,
Time,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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Over the years, the garden has produced epic shows, mostly through its process of scattering the work of such art celebrities as Dale Chihuly, Alexander Calder and Deborah Butterfield among the famous flora planted in its grounds on York Street.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
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After decades of debate, a new study has revealed the epic journey that the Altar Stone, a six-ton sandstone block, took to arrive at the center of Stonehenge.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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In turn, entering large numbers of guesses requires a tremendous amount of time and computing resources, even when the cracking is performed using GPUs or special-purpose hardware.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
4 June 2026
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The 25th installment of the Tribeca Festival runs June 3-14 throughout New York City, boasting a tremendous music slate, with icons including Madonna, Earth, Wind & Fire and Peter Frampton premiering music films.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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Diamondbacks center fielder Jorge Barrosa made a valiant diving effort to catch the ball, and Adames would’ve easily been doubled off had Barrosa caught it.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
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Busch, who tragically died at 41 on Thursday from an undetermined illness, turned in a valiant effort in 2014, finishing sixth in the Indy 500 despite having limited experience in IndyCar.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
Adjective
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And truly, only love catches us, in its infinite, glorious forms.—
Stephanie Mack,
PEOPLE,
6 June 2026
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Those golf scrambles where your phone magically doesn't work for 4 1/2 glorious hours.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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Ciber ’s team work quickly under netting to mount a huge Browning heavy machine gun onto tank tracks.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
The eighth-inning bomb was huge, too.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
30 May 2026
Adjective
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The Tonys are a place to put on a brave face, but will the anxiety creep in?—
Vulture Editors,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
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In winter, the White Elephant provides free transfers in its house BMWs between Aspen, Buttermilk, and Aspen Highlands mountains (a garage next to the boot room means guests never brave the elements).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 June 2026
Adjective
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The hotel houses a magnificent collection of 20th-century prints and drawings which hang throughout the bedrooms and public spaces; spot the Picasso and the Cocteaus in the Picteau Lounge Bar.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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The Italian Lounge, for example, has a magnificent blue-and-gold ceiling imported from the Grimation Palace in Florence in the late 19th century.—
Harriet Marsden,
TheWeek,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heroic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heroic. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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