Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Herculean


Listen Later

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 2, 2025 is:

Herculean • \her-kyuh-LEE-un\  • adjective

Something described as Herculean (often uncapitalized as herculean) is characterized by extraordinary power, extent, intensity, or difficulty.

// Although starting a garden sounded fun in theory, the constant weeding and pest control turned it into a herculean task.

See the entry >

Examples:

Strong doesn’t even properly describe [Ashton] Jeanty’s Herculean, how-is-he-doing-that kind of strength. Before his sophomore year of college, he squatted 575 pounds. [Coach James] Montgomery thought that Jeanty had maxed out. He was wrong. Now Jeanty easily squats 605 pounds ‘like a hot knife through butter,’ Montgomery says.” — Mirin Fader, The Ringer, 5 Dec. 2024

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.



...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Merriam-Webster's Word of the DayBy Merriam-Webster

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

1,189 ratings


More shows like Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

View all
Speak English with ESLPod.com - Learn English Fast by ESLPod.com

Speak English with ESLPod.com - Learn English Fast

2,539 Listeners

TED Talks Daily by TED

TED Talks Daily

11,143 Listeners

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by QuickAndDirtyTips.com

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

2,831 Listeners

Science Quickly by Scientific American

Science Quickly

1,372 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,049 Listeners

Learn English | EnglishClass101.com by EnglishClass101.com

Learn English | EnglishClass101.com

857 Listeners

RealLife English: Learn and Speak Confident, Natural English by RealLife English

RealLife English: Learn and Speak Confident, Natural English

494 Listeners

All Ears English Podcast by Lindsay McMahon and Michelle Kaplan

All Ears English Podcast

2,227 Listeners

Daily Easy English Expression Podcast by Coach Shane

Daily Easy English Expression Podcast

824 Listeners

IELTS Energy English 7+ by Lindsay McMahon, Jessica Beck, Aubrey Carter

IELTS Energy English 7+

419 Listeners

Real English Conversations Podcast – English for Global Professionals | Speak Clearly & Confidently at Work by Real English Conversations: Amy Whitney & Curtis Davies - English Podcast

Real English Conversations Podcast – English for Global Professionals | Speak Clearly & Confidently at Work

400 Listeners

Speak English Now Podcast: Learn English | Speak English without grammar. by Georgiana, founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com

Speak English Now Podcast: Learn English | Speak English without grammar.

569 Listeners

American English Podcast by Shana Thompson

American English Podcast

571 Listeners

Confident Business English by Anna Connelly

Confident Business English

145 Listeners

Business English from All Ears English by Lindsay McMahon

Business English from All Ears English

76 Listeners