Meaning & use
heroic
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Very brave, especially when facing danger or great difficulty.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: a heroic effort; the rescue was heroic.
Patterns
- heroic effort
- heroic action
- it is heroic to do something
The firefighters made a heroic effort to save the family from the burning house.
It was heroic of her to go back into the water to help a stranger.
He received a medal for his heroic actions during the flood.
adjectivebefore a nounliterary
Describing a story or poem about a great hero and grand events.
Grammar: Mainly used before a noun in literary discussion: heroic poetry, a heroic tale.
Patterns
- heroic poetry
- heroic tale
- heroic age
The students studied heroic poetry from ancient Greece.
The film tells a heroic tale of a warrior who defends his city.
Old heroic epics often begin by asking a muse for help.
adjectivebefore a nounfigurative
Very great in size or effort, often more than seems reasonable.
Grammar: Often slightly humorous or critical, before a noun: heroic amounts of food.
Patterns
- heroic amounts of something
- heroic proportions
- heroic scale
She ate a heroic amount of cake at the party.
The project failed on a heroic scale, costing millions.
He took on a heroic workload and finished everything by Friday.
Word forms
| comparative | more heroic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most heroic |
Common combinations
- heroic effort
- The team made a heroic effort to finish on time.
- heroic act
- Saving the child was a truly heroic act.
- heroic struggle
- Her heroic struggle against illness inspired many people.
- heroic figure
- He became a heroic figure in the eyes of the nation.
- heroic death
- The poem describes the hero's heroic death in battle.
Synonyms and how they differ
- brave
- The everyday word for facing danger; heroic suggests something grander and more admired.
- courageous
- Focuses on inner strength and control of fear, while heroic often suggests dramatic deeds.
- valiant
- Literary and old-fashioned; use heroic in normal modern writing.
- gallant
- Often suggests polite, noble bravery, sometimes old-fashioned; heroic is more general.
Opposites
Word family
- hero noun
- a person admired for brave or great deeds
- heroine noun
- a female hero, or the main female character in a story
- heroism noun
- great bravery, especially in danger
- heroically adverb
- in a very brave way
Commonly confused: heroic or heroin?
heroic vs heroin
A drug; it sounds almost the same as heroine but is spelled with -in and has nothing to do with heroes.
Practice
Which sentence uses "heroic" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Heroic" fits danger and great effort, as in holding a bridge in battle. Finishing homework early is just helpful, not heroic, and the other options use the word with meanings it does not have.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “heroic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.