| / English Dictionary |
HEROIC
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A verse form suited to the treatment of heroic or elevated themes; dactylic hexameter or iambic pentameter
Synonyms:
heroic; heroic meter; heroic verse
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("heroic" is a kind of...):
epic; epic poem; epos; heroic poem (a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Having or displaying qualities appropriate for heroes
Example:
heroic explorers
Synonyms:
heroic; heroical
Classified under:
Similar:
bold (fearless and daring)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort
Example:
they took heroic measures to save his life
Synonyms:
desperate; heroic
Classified under:
Similar:
brave; courageous (possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
Example:
heroic undertakings
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
impressive (making a strong or vivid impression)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)
Example:
heroic sculpture
Synonyms:
epic; heroic; larger-than-life
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
big; large (above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Relating to or characteristic of heroes of antiquity
Example:
the heroic age
Classified under:
Relational adjectives (pertainyms)
Pertainym:
hero ((classical mythology) a being of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits; often the offspring of a mortal and a god)
Context examples:
But I was restrained, when I thought of the heroic and suffering Elizabeth, whom I tenderly loved, and whose existence was bound up in mine.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
I believe that she is capable of heroic self-sacrifice and that anything dishonourable would be repugnant to her.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Lucy and I had both a fight for it with the dusty miller; I know it was a hard fight on my part, and I am quite heroic.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
Because of this he made heroic efforts to arise and at last he stood on his four legs, tottering and swaying back and forth.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
Quite irrelevantly, still at the telephone and talking with her, he felt an overpowering desire to die for her, and visions of heroic sacrifice shaped and dissolved in his whirling brain.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
There was something heroic about this gently-bred woman enduring our terrible hardship and with her pittance of strength bending to the tasks of a peasant woman.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
He composed heroic songs and began to write many a tale of enchantment and knightly adventure.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
Did she love the heroic and the spectacular for its own noble sake, or was it for the glory which might, without effort or sacrifice, be reflected upon herself?
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
I want to do something splendid before I go into my castle, something heroic or wonderful that won't be forgotten after I'm dead.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Jane, you are docile, diligent, disinterested, faithful, constant, and courageous; very gentle, and very heroic: cease to mistrust yourself—I can trust you unreservedly.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
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