1
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
the herculean task of grading 60 student essays over one weekend
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in enormous
unusually large
a herculean banquet table that took eight men to lift it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of herculean
Despite the herculean efforts of Nowell, original members Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson, and producer Jon Joseph, listening to Until the Sun Explodes feels like scraping up the resin left behind by OG Sublime in the hopes of getting high.
—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
15 June 2026
Despite his herculean postseason, a succession plan will be needed at some point.
—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
12 June 2026
Now, local officials in multiple states have begun the herculean work of changing the names of locations and holidays, as well as contemplating the fate of monuments and murals that honor Chavez.
—
Daniella Silva,
NBC news,
19 Mar. 2026
The local architect Rob Michel, an expert in midcentury preservation, would in turn oversee the project, which grew into a herculean logistical challenge requiring the coordination of some 100 specialists.
—
Felix Wagner,
Architectural Digest,
27 Feb. 2026
For Paramount, the road ahead will be paved with key management and strategic decisions, as well as a herculean effort to revitalize two media giants that have often struggled to navigate the streaming era.
—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
But both face a herculean task in catching him, given Malinin’s huge technical advantage over a longer program.
—
Dave Skretta,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
While finding a new species in plain sight might seem simple, catching the birds – a relatively common sight in the Galapagos – proved a herculean task.
—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano,
Mercury News,
18 Jan. 2026
Yet expert after expert told me that rebooting the country’s oil industry would require a herculean effort.
—
Rogé Karma,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2026
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
15 June 2026
Despite his herculean postseason, a succession plan will be needed at some point.
—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
12 June 2026
Now, local officials in multiple states have begun the herculean work of changing the names of locations and holidays, as well as contemplating the fate of monuments and murals that honor Chavez.
—
Daniella Silva,
NBC news,
19 Mar. 2026
The local architect Rob Michel, an expert in midcentury preservation, would in turn oversee the project, which grew into a herculean logistical challenge requiring the coordination of some 100 specialists.
—
Felix Wagner,
Architectural Digest,
27 Feb. 2026
For Paramount, the road ahead will be paved with key management and strategic decisions, as well as a herculean effort to revitalize two media giants that have often struggled to navigate the streaming era.
—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
But both face a herculean task in catching him, given Malinin’s huge technical advantage over a longer program.
—
Dave Skretta,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
While finding a new species in plain sight might seem simple, catching the birds – a relatively common sight in the Galapagos – proved a herculean task.
—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano,
Mercury News,
18 Jan. 2026
Yet expert after expert told me that rebooting the country’s oil industry would require a herculean effort.
—
Rogé Karma,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herculean
Adjective
-
Aviation experts said those conditions would have been difficult to navigate that evening when the helicopter, a Robinson R66, crashed in the Dawson Forest Wildlife Management Area.
-
But traffic on the waterway remains a fraction of pre-war levels with different authorities vying to organize the transit of vessels, leaving operators with a difficult choice over which path to take.
Adjective
-
But for prices, the distinction makes an enormous difference, Kaneva noted.
-
The wave that hit downtown Kansas City on Thursday wasn’t like what the city has seen before, even in enormous parades for Chiefs’ Super Bowl or Royals’ World Series victories.
Adjective
-
Keeping your hair looking and feeling shiny can be challenging, but not with this hair kit.
-
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore said that fighting the fire had been extremely challenging.
Adjective
-
Authors think humans might just be able to leverage a few tools at our disposal to change the course of huge weather events.
-
Technology companies are spending big to incorporate artificial intelligence into their businesses and to build huge data centers.
Adjective
-
Summer 2026 is having a tough time deciding on this season’s dominating nail trend.
-
These are typically low-wage jobs that the healthcare industry writ large has had a tough time recruiting for since the pandemic.
Adjective
-
After soaring to tremendous heights and leading the market for years, AI stocks have been under pressure recently because of worries their profits can’t possibly keep pace with the tremendous rallies for their stock prices.
-
Seismic events release tremendous amounts of seismic energy.
Adjective
-
The Scottish lawyer was one of the smartest, most formidable specialists in the luxury business, with a reputation that carried internationally and a vast roll call of clients.
-
With five volumes of his Noise Kandy series, to solo and collaborative albums (KISS THE RING, Kontraband, Trainspotting), the Griselda affiliate has cemented his status as one of today’s most formidable spitters.
Adjective
-
While running your air conditioner is likely a must, there are actually other ways to keep your home cooler that don't involve blasting your AC or a gigantic electric bill.
-
Those include partnering to develop digital workflows and their joint-ownership in the Terafab facility that plans to produce a gigantic one terawatt a year in compute hardware.
Cite this Entry
“Herculean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herculean. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
