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
Hicks racked up 49 saves in a herculean performance and is 15-0-1 since taking over as the starter at midseason.
—
Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
From the get-go, Lonely reintroduces the herculean energy of her pre-Gladie songwriting.
—Tatiana Tenreyro, Pitchfork, 20 Mar. 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
Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
From the get-go, Lonely reintroduces the herculean energy of her pre-Gladie songwriting.
—Tatiana Tenreyro, Pitchfork, 20 Mar. 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
-
JSerra navigated a difficult regular-season schedule, then avoided upsets in the playoffs.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
But the strength of his acidic, strong, difficult performance was too powerful for the Tonys to deny.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
Throughout the trial, stress took an enormous toll on Jackson, defense attorney Mark Geragos said in the docuseries.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2026
-
Regardless of any such warnings, expect enormous spending from unions, charter advocates, business interests and wealthy donors.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
The most challenging decision of the day might be selecting a picnic spot or which lagoon to snorkel.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
-
What Destin and Andrew have is a mandate to deliver to the audience something utterly unique, utterly endearing, quite challenging, and intelligent.—
Ben Kingsley,
IndieWire,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Ciber ’s team work quickly under netting to mount a huge Browning heavy machine gun onto tank tracks.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
The eighth-inning bomb was huge, too.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
More recent air quality news Major automakers are urging the EPA to delay tougher vehicle pollution standards for two years.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
In a tough economy for local breweries, Clairvoyant has found a way to keep its heart beating.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
In turn, entering large numbers of guesses requires a tremendous amount of time and computing resources, even when the cracking is performed using GPUs or special-purpose hardware.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
4 June 2026
-
The 25th installment of the Tribeca Festival runs June 3-14 throughout New York City, boasting a tremendous music slate, with icons including Madonna, Earth, Wind & Fire and Peter Frampton premiering music films.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
The Cuban military, once a formidable expeditionary force during Cold War campaigns in Africa, now struggles with chronic fuel shortages, aging equipment, limited mobility and poor readiness, Pérez said.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
-
The elder Jackson, one of Chicago’s most famous civil rights icons, died in February and left his formidable organization to his son Yusef.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
And if the interest expense on our gigantic and ballooning national debt of $39 trillion weren’t already running at nearly $1 trillion a year, bigger than Medicare spending and equaling two-thirds of Social Security outlays, the half-point upward shift would likely prove manageable.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
-
Shah’s closest ally (and the person most willing to call Shah on his lies to himself and others) is his cousin Zulfi, a gigantic character who Khan energizes with fast-talking charm, sarcastic asides, and an assessing glare that can cut through anyone’s defenses.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Herculean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herculean. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
