herculean

herculean
adjective: extremely difficult or requiring great strength

From the headlines: Thousands of volunteers in Japan’s Aomori Prefecture took part in a herculean effort to move the 400-ton Hirosaki Castle using hikiya, a traditional method involving ropes and rollers. Over five days, groups of 80 people at a time took turns hauling the castle, ultimately shifting it about 12 feet closer to its original foundation. The same human-powered technique was used in 2015, when the castle was moved after being damaged in an earthquake.

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Herculean
adjective
Her·;cu·;le·;an ;h;r-ky;-;l;-;n  ;h;r-;ky;-l;-
Synonyms of Herculean

Simple Definition
A Simple Definition is available from our Learner's Dictionary to help you understand the meaning faster.
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of Hercules
2
often herculean : of extraordinary power, extent, intensity, or difficulty
Herculean tasks
Herculean proportions

Did you know?
The hero Hercules, son of the god Zeus by a human mother, was famous for his superhuman strength. As penance for a madness-induced murder spree (the victims were his family), he was forced to perform twelve enormously difficult tasks, or “labors.” These ranged from descending into the underworld to bring back the terrifying dog that guarded its entrance to destroying the many-headed monster called the Hydra. The feats he accomplished explain how Herculean in the 16th century came to be used for any job or task that’s extremely difficult or calls for enormous strength.

Synonyms of Herculean
Relevance
difficult
challenging
tough
formidable
rigorous
hard
demanding
Examples of Herculean in a Sentence
the herculean task of grading 60 student essays over one weekend
a herculean banquet table that took eight men to lift it
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Wiseman has described the mission itself as a Herculean effort, noting that no human has attempted anything like it in more than half a century.
— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Apr. 2026
Public health experts watching the leadership void at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been predicting for a while that finding someone to head the agency would be a Herculean task.
— Helen Branswell, STAT, 30 Mar. 2026
Florida’s frontcourt poses a Herculean challenge.
— Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
In an era of never-ending microtrends—office sirens, tomato girls, and coquettes among them—finding your style can feel like a Herculean task.
— Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2026
Word History
First Known Use
1593, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of Herculean was in 1593
See more words from the same year
Rhymes for Herculean
cerulean
Browse Nearby Words
Herculaneum
Herculean
Hercules
Articles Related to Herculean
Words from Greek and Roman Mythology...
A mythological/etymological mashup!


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MLA
“Herculean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Herculean. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition
herculean

adjective
her·;cu·;le·;an ;h;r-ky;-;l;-;n,  ;h;r-;ky;-l;-
1
capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of Hercules
2
often capitalized : of great power, size, or difficulty
a herculean task
Last Updated: 1 Jul 2026 - Updated example sentences

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Heracles (/;h;r;kli;z/ ; Ancient Greek: ;;;;;;;, lit.;'glory/fame of Hera'), born Alcaeus[2] (;;;;;;;, Alkaios) or Alcides[3] (;;;;;;;;, Alkeid;s), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus[4] and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.[5] He was a descendant of Perseus, another son of Zeus.

He was the greatest of the Greek heroes, the ancestor of royal clans known as Heracleidae (;;;;;;;;;;), and a champion of the Olympian order against chthonic monsters. In Rome and the modern West, he is known as Hercules, with whom the later Roman emperors, in particular Commodus and Maximian, often identified themselves. Details of his cult were adapted to Rome as well.



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 Clean the Augean stables in a single day
The Augean stables were the home of 3,000 cattle with poisoned faeces which Augeas had been given by his father Helios. Heracles was given the near impossible task of cleaning the stables of the diseased faeces. He accomplished it by digging ditches on both sides of the stables, moving them into the ditches, and then diverting the rivers Alpheios and Pineios to wash the ditches clean.

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It will take a Herculean effort to clean White House stables after Trump will finally leave it ... "
Homer