heroics: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal, Literary, Critical
Quick answer
What does “heroics” mean?
Actions or behaviour that are dramatically brave, showy, or intended to draw admiration, often with a sense of excessive theatricality or unnecessary risk.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Actions or behaviour that are dramatically brave, showy, or intended to draw admiration, often with a sense of excessive theatricality or unnecessary risk.
Often used critically to describe showy, excessive, or self-consciously grand actions that aim to impress rather than achieve a practical purpose. It can also refer to a style of overly dramatic artistic or literary expression.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage and meaning are essentially identical in both varieties. There is no significant divergence.
Connotations
Identical connotations of unnecessary showiness or foolish risk-taking in both dialects.
Frequency
Slightly more common in British English literary and journalistic contexts, but the difference is marginal.
Grammar
How to Use “heroics” in a Sentence
to indulge in heroicsto be fond of heroicsto cut out the heroicswithout any heroicsno time for heroicsVocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Critiquing a risky, showy business decision made for personal glory rather than sound strategy. e.g., 'The CEO's takeover bid was dismissed as financial heroics.'
Academic
Analysing stylistic elements in literature or film. e.g., 'The paper deconstructs the nationalist heroics of the epic poem.'
Everyday
Criticising someone for taking an unnecessary physical risk to impress others. e.g., 'We don't need your heroics trying to fix the roof without a ladder.'
Technical
Used in sports commentary or military analysis to describe reckless, individualistic play or action. e.g., 'The coach criticised the defender's late-game heroics that left the goal exposed.'
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “heroics”
Neutral
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “heroics”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “heroics”
- Using it as a singular noun ('a heroic'). Always plural. Confusing it with the positive 'heroism'. Using it in a purely positive context.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is overwhelmingly negative or critical. It describes actions perceived as showy, unnecessarily risky, or performed for admiration rather than from genuine, effective bravery.
Very rarely, and usually with a tone of irony or affectionate humour. In most standard usage, it carries a critical connotation.
It follows a pattern of plural nouns ending in '-ics' (like 'antics', 'gymnastics', 'logistics') that denote a category of behaviour or activity, rather than a single instance.
'Heroism' is a sincere, commendable quality of great bravery. 'Heroics' refers to the outward, often excessive or foolish, display or performance of such actions, with a focus on the spectacle rather than the virtue.
Actions or behaviour that are dramatically brave, showy, or intended to draw admiration, often with a sense of excessive theatricality or unnecessary risk.
Heroics is usually formal, literary, critical in register.
Heroics: in British English it is pronounced /hɪˈrəʊ.ɪks/, and in American English it is pronounced /hɪˈroʊ.ɪks/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Cut the heroics! (Stop showing off/acting foolishly brave)”
- “No time for heroics (We need practical action, not showy gestures).”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a HERO in a comic book striking an overly dramatic pose (IC). 'Heroics' are like adding an exaggerated '-ics' (as in 'antics' or 'gymnastics') to heroism, making it about the performance.
Conceptual Metaphor
HEROISM IS A THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE (implies an audience, a script, and an element of pretence).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'heroics' used correctly?