Crossword Dictionary
herculean
herculean - a
displaying superhuman strength or power.
Synonyms
arduous, Augean, backbreaking, challenging, demanding, difficult, effortful, exacting, formidable, grueling (or gruelling), hard, heavy, hellacious, killer, laborious, moiling, murderous, pick-and-shovel, rigorous, rough, rugged, severe, stiff, strenuous, sweaty, tall, testing, toilsome, tough, uphill
Did you know?
The hero Hercules, son of the god Zeus by a human mother, was famous for his superhuman strength. To pacify the wrath of the god Apollo, 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. Any job or task that's extremely difficult or calls for enormous strength is therefore called herculean.
titanic
adjective
Of exceptional strength, size, or power.
synonyms
colossal, gigantic, gargantuan, Herculean
examples:
‘Now however, her mind was overwhelmed with concern for her father; she'd also felt the titanic bloom of power and the shattering of the barriers.’
‘NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has revealed the aftermath of a titanic explosion that wracked the elliptical galaxy known as NGC 4636.’
‘‘There's something terribly attractive about a titanic explosion, as long as it occurs far enough away,’ Woosley said.’
‘Type II's derive from a supermassive red giant whose core collapses when it runs out of fuel, and then rebounds in a titanic explosion.’