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Heroic

[hi-roh-ik]

adjective

Also, he·ro·i·cal. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a hero or heroine.

suitable to the character of a hero in size or concept; daring; noble: a heroic ambition.

having or displaying the character or attributes of a hero; extraordinarily bold, altruistic, determined, etc.: a heroic explorer.

having or involving recourse to boldness, daring, or extreme measures: Heroic measures were taken to save his life.

dealing with or describing the deeds, attributes, etc., of heroes, as in literature.

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of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the heroes of antiquity: heroic mythology.

used in heroic poetry. Compare heroic verse.

resembling heroic poetry in language or style; grandiloquent.

(of style or language) lofty; extravagant; grand.

10.

larger than life-size: a statue of heroic proportions.

COLLAPSE

noun

11.

Usually, heroics. heroic verse.

12.

heroics,

flamboyant or extravagant language, sentiment, or behavior, intended to seem heroic.

heroic action or behavior.

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Heroic is always a great word to know.

So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:

a fool or simpleton; ninny.

an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

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Origin:
1540–50; < Latin hērōicus < Greek hērōïkós of, pertaining to a hero; compare late Middle English heroical, heroicus; see hero, -ic

Related forms

he·ro·i·cal·ly, adverb

he·ro·i·cal·ness, he·ro·ic·ness, he·ro·ic·i·ty

[heer-oh-is-i-tee] , noun

non·he·ro·ic, adjective

non·he·ro·i·cal, adjective

non·he·ro·i·cal·ly, adverb

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non·he·ro·i·cal·ness, noun

non·he·ro·ic·ness, noun

pseu·do·he·ro·ic, adjective

pseu·do·he·ro·i·cal, adjective

pseu·do·he·ro·i·cal·ly, adverb

qua·si-he·ro·ic, adjective

qua·si-he·ro·i·cal·ly, adverb

su·per·he·ro·ic, adjective

su·per·he·ro·i·cal·ly, adverb

un·he·ro·ic, adjective

un·he·ro·ic·ness, noun

un·he·ro·i·cal, adjective

un·he·ro·i·cal·ly, adverb

un·he·ro·i·cal·ness, noun

COLLAPSE

Synonyms
1, 2. dauntless, valiant, valorous, gallant, brave, courageous. 7. epic.

Antonyms
1–2. cowardly.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To Heroic

Example Sentences

It is full of familiar clichés peculiar to such heroic fare.

Some bloggers and climate scientists see the exposure as heroic.

Champions of new inventions display persistence and courage of heroic quality.

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It is full of familiar clichés peculiar to such heroic fare.

Some bloggers and climate scientists see the exposure as heroic.

Champions of new inventions display persistence and courage of heroic quality.

People more widely acknowledged as heroes represent a broad range of acts considered heroic.

Women are well-known for talking ing and men for writing texts claiming glory for heroic acts.

However, that does not mean their service and sacrifice was not heroic.

The truth of war is not always easy to hear but it always more heroic than the hype.

His behavior was outrageously irresponsible--not heroic.

Horses still hold a place of honor in many cultures, often linked to heroic exploits in war.

Heroic deeds-- notably, that of a schoolteacher who died saving the emperor's picture from a fire--embellished the curriculum.

Back then, there was no one to witness either the misery or the bravery of this heroic band.

Heroes have to always, at the heroic decisive moment, break from the crowd and do something different.

Heroic doctors and nurses labored day and night while piles of amputated limbs bred maggots in the sun.

People still need to think about it and be aware of the risks in taking on this heroic act," he says.

We're more than willing to perform heroic acts of programming to eke out a little bit of performance.

Goddard's print shop, where she did this historic work, is a pharmacy now-with no plaque honoring her heroic deed.

Same effect but no heroic efforts to make biofuel suitable for aviation.

Of course, it would take a lot of work to perform any of these heroic acts, because this bird doesn't fly.

It's clear that he also missed the limelight his heroic feats had earlier won him.

Thus, it would require a heroic effort by academic researchers to prove that beta-caryophyllene is safe and effective in humans.

Another feature of his musical evolution is the heroic praise he gives to social clubs and his rich patrons.

The heroic journey has evolved over countless generations.

Grand gestures and heroic statements usually look out of place here.

The tears were shed not for the end of a glorious, heroic life but for the end of glorious, heroic ideas and hopes.

But a heroic self-image can be self-destructive if it leads you to start a melee when the facts are not so clear-cut.

Dogs have played heroic roles throughout the history of modern science in experiments that weren't always humane.

Women have particularly diverse approaches to the heroic image.

There are the heroic conservationists urging restraint, the dithering politicians who must.

We identify with these heroic figures because they make us feel good about ourselves.

But because of their heroic deeds, tens of thousands of lives were saved.

Or that role-playing ought to be less heroic than cheering your team on to victory.

The government needs to get wise to the schemes of our nations heroic bilkers.

Police officers at first portrayed the shoot-out as a heroic victory by lawmen over the lawless.

Such games allow virtually anyone to be a heroic monster slayer without leaving the comfort of their couch.

But the departure of the heroic cowboy has opened some room for gentler, more reflective voices.

There was nothing noble or heroic in deciding not to film.

And, yes, the script's handling of heroic and comic moments was imbalanced and flat at times.

My professional life lacks the arc of a heroic narrative but it does offer an example of thinking outside the library carrel.

He believes women are partly escaping into fantasy because they cannot find suitably heroic partners in real life.

Kent's heroic effort has gotten him many props from those in charge of the genome project.

Hannibal was a heroic figure and a superb tactician.

Academics are heroic complainers and not always well disposed to profit-maximising businesses.

Ritual purification at the command of a heroic leader is an ancient and powerful tradition in this part of the world.

Naturally the subway drivers or policemen concerned put in heroic overtime in that final year.

Flying on the actual plane flown by so many heroic men was both remarkable and sobering.

Of course, if the pallets loaded themselves, then the superhero suits would be freed up for more heroic duty.

If a firm was seen to make heroic efforts to clean up its act, prosecutors rewarded it by pursuing civil charges.

The remaining players will play heroic characters who enter the dungeon in pursuit of gold and glory.

But the obstacles in the way of the heroic media mogul are especially big.

What was foolish, however, was to make such heroic claims for it.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

heroic or heroical (hɪˈrəʊɪk)

—*adj*
1.	of, like, or befitting a hero
2.	courageous but desperate
3.	relating to or treating of heroes and their deeds
4.	of, relating to, or resembling the heroes of classical mythology
5.	(of language, manner, etc) extravagant
6.	prosody of, relating to, or resembling heroic verse
7.	(of the arts, esp sculpture) larger than life-size; smaller than colossal
8.	RC Church
	a. held to such a degree as to enable a person to perform virtuous actions with exceptional promptness, ease and pleasure, and with self-abnegation and self-control: heroic virtue
	b. performed or undergone by such a person: the heroic witness of martyrdom

heroical or heroical

—*adj*

he'roically or heroical

—*adv*

he'roicalness or heroical

—n

he'roicness or heroical

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

heroic he·ro·ic (hĭ-rō'ĭk)
adj.
Relating to a risky medical procedure that may endanger the patient but also has a possibility of being successful, whereas lesser action would result in failure.

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Matching Quote

"The son will run away from the family not at eighteen but at twelve, emancipated by his gluttonous precocity; he will fly not to seek heroic adventures, not to deliver a beautiful prisoner from a tower, not to immortalize a garret with sublime thoughts, but to found a business, to enrich himself and to compete with his infamous papa."

-Charles Baudelaire

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