ENGLISH
REFERENCE

heroic

adj. · n.
US //hɪˈɹoʊɪk// UK //hɪɹˈəʊɪk// hero·ic
  1. 1 brave and noble (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    very brave or showing great courage, especially in a dangerous situation.

    displaying or possessing the qualities of a hero, particularly exceptional courage or fortitude in the face of adversity.

    Example

    The firefighters made a heroic effort to save the family from the burning building.

    Example

    The biography details her heroic resistance against the occupying forces, highlighting the immense personal risk she accepted to protect her community.
  2. 2 larger than life (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Technical

    describing a statue or painting that is larger than a real person but not huge.

    referring to a scale of representation in sculpture or painting that is larger than life-size but smaller than colossal.

    Example

    The museum has a heroic statue of the ancient king in the main hall.

    Example

    The sculptor chose a heroic scale for the monument to ensure it commanded the plaza without overwhelming the surrounding neoclassical architecture.
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  1. 3 poetry style (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Academic Literary

    a type of verse or line used in traditional poetry.

    a verse form, such as the heroic couplet, typically used in epic poetry to convey a grand or serious tone.

    Example

    The poet wrote the entire epic in heroics to match the grand story.

    Example

    The translation of the Iliad into English heroics attempted to preserve the rhythmic dignity of the original Greek dactylic hexameter.
Origin

Partly from Middle French heroïque and partly from Latin hērōicus. By surface analysis, hero + -ic.

Word family

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