heroism
noun
Simple meaning
Exceptional or heroic courage when facing danger.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
hehrohihzuhmSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈhɛɹoʊɪzəm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The qualities of a hero or heroine; exceptional or heroic courage when facing danger (especially in battle)
“He showed great heroism in battle.”
The qualities characteristic of a hero, such as courage, bravery, fortitude, selflessness, etc.; the display of such qualities.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
This meaning: The qualities of a hero or heroine; exceptional or heroic courage when facing danger (especially in battle)
Used this way, heroism is a common word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It carries warmth, so it reads as personal rather than detached.
“He showed great heroism in battle.”
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Brave and principled
- Usage feel
- Warm and expressive
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “heroism in …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: heroism in …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use heroism
- “He showed great heroism in battle.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Related to The qualities of a hero or heroine.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.