epic

1 of 2

noun

ep·​ic ˈe-pik 

1

: a long narrative poem in elevated style recounting the deeds of a legendary or historical hero

the Iliad and the Odyssey are epics

2

: a work of art (such as a novel or drama) that resembles or suggests an epic

3

: a series of events or body of legend or tradition thought to form the proper subject of an epic

the epic of the winning of the West

epic

2 of 2

adjective

1

a

: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an epic

epic poets

… The Divine Comedy, an epic poem of more than 14,000 lines whose original manuscript has never been found …

—Richard McGill Murphy

This epic American story traces family lives over generations until they're rocked by another scandal that spills their secrets onto a public stage.

—Carrie Rollwagon

b

: of, relating to, resembling, or suggestive of heroes especially of antiquity : heroic

epic bravery

epic deeds

2

: extending beyond the usual or ordinary especially in size or scope

an epic achievement

epic struggles

… a packed lineup of lectures, demonstrations, re-enactments and other events will commemorate the anniversary of the epic 1836 Alamo siege and battle—13 days that made the site famous.

—Scott Huddleston

That's how these simple questions end up fueling debates of epic proportion.

—Madeline Buxton

An uptick in earnings among riskier U.S. companies is bolstering investor confidence that an epic rally in junk bonds can last a little longer.

—Sam Goldfarb

broadly, informal : extraordinary, impressive

In the meantime, start planning your epic pillow forts (and Sunday afternoon naps).

—Caroline Picard

Everyone is in agreement: this photobomb is totally epic.

—Caroline Alkire

epical

ˈe-pi-kəl 

adjective

epically

ˈe-pi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

Does epic mean "impressive" or just "big"?

When epic began to be used as an adjective in English it was in specific reference to the characteristics of the type of poem that bears the same name. A couple of centuries passed, and the word’s meaning came to describe other kinds of works, aside from poetry, which had similarly grand characteristics. More recently, epic has been found used in a highly colloquial fashion, in a manner that is largely synonymous with outstanding, fabulous, or impressive. Before you pass judgment on whether this new sense of epic is acceptable to you or not, you might want to consider that all the words that this sense is synonymous with have also changed their meanings dramatically: outstanding originally described something that projected or stuck out, fabulous had to do with fables, and impressive used to mean “capable of being impressed.”

Synonyms

Adjective

• august
• baronial
• gallant
• glorious
• grand
• grandiose
• heroic
• heroical
• Homeric
• imperial
• imposing
• magnific
• magnificent
• majestic
• massive
• monumental
• noble
• proud
• regal
• royal
• splendid
• stately

Examples of epic in a Sentence

Noun

Homer's ancient Greek epic “The Odyssey”.

Adjective

The football game was an epic battle between two great teams.

The bridge was an epic achievement.

The company is engaged in an epic struggle for survival.

an accomplishment of epic proportions

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The remake of the 1970s sci-fi epic perfectly encapsulates Patriot Act-era politics, in the way the series' military and political leaders, played by Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell, respond to an attack on humanity by its robot creations. —Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2024

The most famous Mary of all time (with all due respect to Wilson, J. Blige, and Tyler Moore) is getting her own Biblical coming-of-age epic, just as her famous son has had over the years. —Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 15 Oct. 2024

Adjective

Innings Festival and Extra Innings 2025: See the epic lineups in Tempe Opinion: Trump crony Ryan Girdusky was banned from CNN. —Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 31 Oct. 2024

Travelers hoping to plan an epic ski vacation can fly to Salt Lake City starting at just $124 each way from New York City, or fly to Denver starting at just $79 each way from Boston. —Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin epicus, from Greek epikos, from epos word, speech, poem — more at voice

First Known Use

Noun

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing epic

• beast epic
• epic fail
• epic simile

Kids Definition

epic

1 of 2 adjective

ep·​ic ˈep-ik 

1

: of, relating to, or being like an epic

an epic poem

2

: unusually long or great in size or scope

epic genius

epic

2 of 2 noun

: a long poem telling of the deeds of a hero and often centering on the ideals of a nation or culture