Herculean
adjective /ˌhɜːkjʊˈliːən/ — Requiring extraordinary strength, courage, or effort.
Definition
Of a scale or difficulty requiring the strength or perseverance of Hercules — a task enormous enough that only exceptional capacity could achieve it.
Beyond the definition
The twelve labours of Hercules were designed to be impossible — and he completed them anyway. Herculean describes that quality of a challenge: not merely difficult, but requiring something beyond normal human range.
Origin & history
From Hercules (the Roman name) or Herakles (Greek) — the greatest hero of classical mythology, famed for his extraordinary strength and the completion of twelve impossible labours as atonement.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The task of restructuring the entire organisation proved herculean but not impossible.
She made a herculean effort to stay composed during the cross-examination.
Herculean patience was required — the kind most people simply don't have.
Synonyms
monumental, immense, extraordinary, superhuman
Antonyms
trivial, minor, manageable
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Exhausted witness in a crowd
An adult sits on a public park bench, head in hands, surrounded by a chaotic, moving flow of people.
The heavy fatigue of the person captures the emotional burden required to endure overwhelming, large-scale struggles. It reflects the immense capacity of spirit needed to remain present even when the demands of the world feel like an impossible, Herculean weight.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration