Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or resembling the heroes of literature, legend, or myth.
  • adjective Having, displaying, or characteristic of the qualities appropriate to a hero; courageous.
  • adjective Impressive in size or scope; grand.
  • adjective Of a size or scale that is larger than life.
  • noun A line of heroic verse.
  • noun Heroic behavior or action.
  • noun Melodramatic behavior or language.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Having or displaying the character or attributes of a hero; daring; intrepid; determined: as, a heroic warrior or explorer.
  • Of or pertaining to heroes; suitable to the character of a hero; bold, daring, noble, or commanding in proportions, form, or quality: as, a heroic statue or monument; a heroic poem or symphony; a heroic enterprise; specifically, in art, larger than life: said of a statue, or a figure in a picture. See heroic size, below.
  • Having recourse to extreme measures; boldly experimental; daring; rash: as, heroic treatment.
  • Synonyms Gallant, Valiant, etc. (see brave), daring, fearless, dauntless.
  • noun A hero.
  • noun A heroic verse: most frequently used in the plural, sometimes sarcastically in the sense of bombast, or extravagant expressions of admiration or praise: as, to go into heroics over a picture.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to, or like, a hero; of the nature of heroes; distinguished by the existence of heroes
  • adjective Worthy of a hero; bold; daring; brave; illustrious
  • adjective (Sculpture & Painting) Larger than life size, but smaller than colossal; -- said of the representation of a human figure.
  • adjective the age when the heroes, or those called the children of the gods, are supposed to have lived.
  • adjective that which celebrates the deeds of a hero; epic poetry.
  • adjective (Med.) treatment or remedies of a severe character, suited to a desperate case.
  • adjective (Pros.) the verse of heroic or epic poetry, being in English, German, and Italian the iambic of ten syllables; in French the iambic of twelve syllables; and in classic poetry the hexameter.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of or relating to a hero or heroine; supremely noble
  • adjective Courageous; displaying heroism.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort
  • noun a verse form suited to the treatment of heroic or elevated themes; dactylic hexameter or iambic pentameter
  • adjective having or displaying qualities appropriate for heroes
  • adjective of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
  • adjective relating to or characteristic of heroes of antiquity
  • adjective very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)

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