herculean

/ˌhɜːkjuˈliːən/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌhɜːrkjuˈliːən/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌhər-kyə-ˈlē-ən ˌhər-ˈkyü-lē-/ (ame, mw)

herculean — adjective

  • herculeanpositive
  • more herculeancomparative
  • most herculeansuperlative

1. describing a piece of work or activity that demands an extraordinary amount of s

1.形容詞C1
釋義

describing a piece of work or activity that demands an extraordinary amount of strength, stamina, or determination — far beyond what is normally expected, as if requiring the power of a mythological hero.

例句

Clearing the fallen oak tree from the driveway after the storm was a herculean task for the neighbours.

collocation: herculean task

Dr. Amara Okafor faced a herculean challenge when she rebuilt the hospital laboratory with only half the usual budget.

collocation: herculean challenge

同義詞
  • arduous

    focuses on sustained hardship over time; less dramatic than herculean

  • backbreaking

    informal; emphasises exhausting physical labour

  • grueling

    emphasises the exhausting, punishing quality of the effort

  • strenuous

    focuses on vigorous physical or mental exertion; does not connote near-impossibility

反義詞
  • easy

    requiring little or no effort

  • effortless

    achieved without visible strain

  • trivial

    so minor that it presents no challenge

文法句型

herculean + noun

be + herculean

用法筆記

The word always carries a connotation of scale and difficulty beyond ordinary experience, referring back to the mythological labours of Hercules. It is most naturally used with nouns describing work or achievement (task, effort, undertaking, feat) rather than with nouns describing objects, people, or symptoms (e.g., ❌ 'a herculean headache'). Although it can be used predicatively ('The job was herculean'), it appears far more often directly before a noun.

常見錯誤

❌Moving the sofa was a herculean job.
✅Moving the sofa was a heavy job.
💡herculean implies a scale of difficulty far beyond everyday tasks; moving a sofa is too ordinary for this word.
❌She is very herculean.
✅She completed a herculean task.
💡herculean describes the task or effort, not the person directly (except in rare literary use).