heroic

adjective he·ro·ic \ hi-ˈrō-ik also her-ˈō- or hē-ˈrō- \

variants: or less commonly heroical play \hi-ˈrō-i-kəl\

Updated on: 8 Dec 2017

Definition of heroic

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

—

heroically

play \hi-ˈrō-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See heroic defined for English-language learners

See heroic defined for kids

Examples of heroic in a Sentence

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 of heroic from the Web

The limitless American pragmatism, with its faith in the possibility of technical solutions for every problem, is a powerful spur to heroic medicine when combined with fear of death.

— pascal-emmanuel gobry, National Review, "We’re Too Afraid to Die," 2 Nov. 2017
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published a story in November about Thomas and the heroic efforts undertaken by Children's Hospital to preserve his life.

— crocker stephenson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Surgery enabled the first American to survive birth without a trachea to breathe. Now he can eat.," 16 Oct. 2017
Jillian is now 25 and soon to enter the Police Academy to follow in her father's heroic footsteps.

— jim axelrod, CBS News, "Children who lost parents on 9/11 now telling their own stories," 11 Sep. 2017
But when committed by Trump’s side, violence is righteous and heroic, evidence of a functioning moral order.

— peter beinart, The Atlantic, "Why Trump Can't Handle the Cost of War," 20 Oct. 2017
But, as Philip Mattera wrote: Looked at in a broader context, the hurricane relief efforts of Wal-Mart, while mostly laudable, come across as somewhat less than heroic.

— eleanor cummins, Slate Magazine, "There’s Reason to Be Skeptical of a Tesla-Powered Puerto Rico," 6 Oct. 2017
With the heroic Taylor pitting his amplified cello against an insistent electronic soundtrack, Clyne’s piece growled and sang with gritty intensity.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "MusicNOW looks back on a fruitful 20 years of new music," 4 Oct. 2017
Most conservationists find these efforts laudable, heroic even.

— jennie erin smith, WSJ, "Picking Sides in the Fight for Survival," 22 Sep. 2017
In 1997, Brocci created L'Eroica (the heroic), a weekend-long plunge into cycling anachronism that is heading this year into its 17th iteration.

— ben cramer, Town & Country, "Soul Cycle," 6 Sep. 2013

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heroic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of heroic

15th century

heroic Synonyms

heroic

noun

Definition of heroic

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