heroic

IPA/həˈrəʊɪk/
KK[hɪrˈoɪk]IPA/həˈrəʊɪk/

heroic — adjective

  • heroicpositive
  • more heroiccomparative
  • most heroicsuperlative

1. showing the kind of extreme courage that people admire, especially when you risk

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

showing the kind of extreme courage that people admire, especially when you risk your own safety to help others in a dangerous situation

Example

Talia made a heroic rescue of the child from the burning house.

attributive: heroic + rescue

It was heroic of Hamza to dive into the river to save the drowning man.

predicative pattern: it + be + heroic + of + person

Common collocations
  • heroic rescue
  • heroic act
  • heroic deed
  • heroic effort
Synonyms
  • brave

    more general and everyday; not limited to life-threatening situations

  • courageous

    more formal than brave; suggests facing fear with moral strength

  • daring

    emphasizes willingness to take risks, sometimes recklessly

  • valiant

    more literary or old-fashioned; suggests noble effort in battle or struggle

Antonyms
  • cowardly

    showing a lack of courage

  • timid

    shy and easily frightened, lacking boldness

Grammar Patterns

it + be + heroic + of + person + to-infinitive

heroic + noun (deed, act, rescue, effort)

Usage Note

Frequently used attributively before action nouns (rescue, deed, act, effort). The predicative pattern it is heroic of someone to do something is also common and emphasizes the person's moral courage.

Common Mistakes

He was heroic to save the child.
It was heroic of him to save the child.
The adjective takes the pattern it is heroic of + person + to-infinitive, not person + be + heroic + to-infinitive.

2. involving an extremely strong and determined attempt to succeed at something ver

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

involving an extremely strong and determined attempt to succeed at something very difficult, even when the situation seems hopeless

Example

Ignacio made a heroic attempt to climb the mountain despite the bad weather.

collocation: heroic + attempt

Despite losing her job, Yasmin made a heroic effort to finish her degree.

collocation: heroic + effort

Common collocations
  • heroic attempt
  • heroic effort
  • heroic struggle
  • heroic fight
Synonyms
  • determined

    broader, less intense; can describe any firm intention

  • dogged

    suggests stubborn persistence even when success is unlikely

  • valiant

    overlaps with this sense; emphasizes effort against odds

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

heroic + attempt

heroic + effort

heroic + struggle

Usage Note

Only used attributively before nouns like attempt, effort, struggle, fight. This sense is NOT used predicatively — a sentence like 'His attempt was heroic' would be interpreted as sense 1 (very brave), not as describing determination.

3. extremely large, powerful, or impressive when compared with what is usual or exp

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

extremely large, powerful, or impressive when compared with what is usual or expected, especially in size, scale, or effect

Example

The new bridge was a project of heroic proportions that took ten years to build.

collocation: heroic proportions

Wren served a heroic portion of pasta that nobody could finish.

Common collocations
  • heroic proportions
  • heroic scale
  • heroic amount
  • heroic size
Synonyms
  • enormous

    more neutral; lacks the admiring tone of heroic

  • massive

    informal; focuses on physical size rather than impressiveness

  • colossal

    similar register; suggests something astonishingly big

Antonyms
  • tiny

    very small in size or scale

  • modest

    moderate, not large or impressive

Grammar Patterns

heroic + proportions | scale | size | quantity

Usage Note

Often used in humorous or slightly ironic exaggeration, similar to enormous or massive. Common in the phrase of heroic proportions.

heroic — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Brave is the most general and everyday word for facing danger without fear — a brave child may get a shot at the doctor's office. Courageous is more formal and suggests moral strength in the face of fear, often used for principled stands rather than physical danger. Daring emphasizes a willingness to take risks, sometimes with an element of recklessness or adventure. Valiant is literary or old-fashioned, evoking noble effort in battle or struggle. Heroic sits above these: it describes courage that goes beyond what is expected, often involving self-sacrifice for others. A brave soldier follows orders; a heroic one runs into gunfire to pull a wounded comrade to safety. A courageous journalist exposes corruption despite threats. A daring climber attempts a new route up a cliff. A valiant knight fights for honor. Heroic carries the strongest sense of admiration and moral weight.

brave ↗courageous ↗daring ↗valiant ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • of heroic proportions
  • heroic effort
  • heroic attempt

Prepositions

  • of (it was heroic of someone)
  • in (heroic in scale/effort)

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Heroic entered English in the mid-1500s from Latin heroicus, meaning 'of or relating to a hero,' which itself came from Greek hērōikos (ἡρωϊκός), derived from hērōs (ἥρως) 'hero, demigod, warrior.' In Greek mythology, heroes were mortals of superhuman strength or divine ancestry. The word's earliest English uses were in literary contexts describing epic poetry about legendary figures, but by the 1600s it had broadened to describe any exceptionally brave person or action.