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
hi-ˈrō-iks 
also her-ˈō-,
or hē-ˈrō-
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
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
Paul Newman, New York Times, 31 July 2025
At a Liberty game at the Barclays Center a few days later, the team’s heroic mascot, Ellie the Elephant, carried a miniature purse with a Labubu attached.
—Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 31 July 2025
Ed White, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2025
And this pup is also prone to heroics, meaning that while Superman’s origins were often constantly in flux, this new Krypto was a keeper.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for heroic
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Adjective
None more so than England captain Ben Stokes, who has finally been forced to concede defeat in his heroic attempt to bowl and bat his side to victory almost single-handed because of an injury born out of a brutal workload and relentless calendar.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 31 July 2025
At a Liberty game at the Barclays Center a few days later, the team’s heroic mascot, Ellie the Elephant, carried a miniature purse with a Labubu attached.
—Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 31 July 2025
Noun
Overnight, the strangers became online celebrities for their heroics as a video showing the confrontation spread swiftly on social media.
—Ed White, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2025
And this pup is also prone to heroics, meaning that while Superman’s origins were often constantly in flux, this new Krypto was a keeper.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for heroic
Cite this Entry
“Heroic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heroic. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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