variants
or less commonly heroical
1
: of or relating to courageous people or the mythological or legendary figures of antiquity : of, relating to, resembling, or suggesting heroes especially of antiquity
heroic legends
the heroic age
2
a
: exhibiting or marked by courage and daring
It was a heroic decision.
b
: supremely noble or self-sacrificing
a heroic gesture
received medals for their heroic actions
3
a
: of impressive size, power, extent, or effect
a heroic voice
b(1)
: of great intensity : extreme
heroic effort
(2)
: of a kind that is likely only to be undertaken to save a life
heroic surgery
4
: of, relating to, or constituting drama written during the Restoration in heroic couplets and concerned with a conflict between love and honor
1
: a verse or poem written during the Restoration using rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter and concerned with a conflict between love and honor : a heroic verse or poem
2
heroics plural
a
: flamboyantly boastful language or action
avoids heroics in his writing
b
: courageous, noble, or self-sacrificing action or behavior : heroic action or behavior
the heroics of the civil rights movement
c
: determined effort especially in the face of difficulty
Synonyms
Examples of heroic in a Sentence
Adjective
It was heroic of those women to fight for the right to vote.
The soldiers received medals for their heroic actions.
Despite heroic efforts to save the business, it ultimately went bankrupt.
a political battle of heroic proportions
Recent Examples on the Web
Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2024
Gould, who has since retired as chief of the department, led a candlelight vigil to remember the slain officers and recognize the heroic efforts of Iurato.
DeMonte and Hamzy were memorialized at a garden dedicated to the slain officers at St. Joseph’s Cemetery.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 26 June 2024
Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 27 June 2024
Shohei Ohtani retired a meme by joining a team where his heroics aren’t the only story
June 22, 2024
His two-run homer Saturday was a line-drive rocket that landed halfway up the right-field pavilion.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for heroic 
Adjective
In the era of the heroic private eye, when cops worked in concert with them and often deferred to them, few loomed larger than Burns.
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2024
Gould, who has since retired as chief of the department, led a candlelight vigil to remember the slain officers and recognize the heroic efforts of Iurato.
DeMonte and Hamzy were memorialized at a garden dedicated to the slain officers at St. Joseph’s Cemetery.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 26 June 2024
Noun
In basketball, there was her late-game heroics in a 20-point performance that led the Falcons to an epic 59-54 triple-overtime win over county rival South River for the region championship.
—Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 27 June 2024
Shohei Ohtani retired a meme by joining a team where his heroics aren’t the only story
June 22, 2024
His two-run homer Saturday was a line-drive rocket that landed halfway up the right-field pavilion.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for heroic
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heroic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near heroic
Cite this Entry
“Heroic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heroic. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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