hero as in Dictionary
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- In mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods.
- A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life: soldiers and nurses who were heroes in an unpopular war.
- A person noted for special achievement in a particular field: the heroes of medicine.
- The principal male character in a novel, poem, or dramatic presentation
[Earlier heroe, back-formation from heroes, heroes, from Latin hērōēs, pl. of hērōs, from Greek.]
USAGE NOTE Many writers now consider hero, long restricted to men in the sense “a person noted for courageous action,” to be a gender-neutral term. It is used to refer to admired women as well as men in respected publications, as in this quotation from The Washington Post: “Already a national hero in her economically troubled South Korea, . . . [Se Ri] Pak is packing galleries at [golf] tournaments stateside.” The word heroine is still useful, however, in referring to the principal female character of a fictional work: Jane Eyre is a well-known literary heroine. Ninety-four percent of Usage Panelists accept this usage.
Thesaurus
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- A person revered especially for noble courage: paladin. .
- A famous person: celebrity, lion, luminary, name, notable, personage, personality. Informal big name.
Antonyms
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- Definition: brave person
- Antonyms: coward, loser
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
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Mythological or legendary figure, often of divine descent, who is endowed with great strength or ability, like the heroes celebrated in early epics such as Gilgamesh, The Iliad, Beowulf, or the Chanson de Roland. Usually illustrious warriors or adventurers, heroes are often represented as fulfilling a quest (e.g., Aeneas, in Virgil's Aeneid, founding the Roman state, or Beowulf ridding his people of the monstrous Grendel and his mother). Heroes often possess special qualities such as unusual beauty, precocity, and skills in many crafts. Often inclined to boasting and foolhardiness, they defy pain and death to live fully, creating a moment's glory that survives in the memory of their descendants.
Columbia Encyclopedia
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hero, in Greek religion, famous person, who after his death, was worshiped as quasi-divine. The heroes might be actual great men and women, real or imaginary ancestors, or “faded” gods and goddesses (i.e., ancient gods who for some reason were demoted to human status). Homer treats his heroes as nobles and fighting men, but many Homeric heroes, such as Hector and Achilles, later became objects of worship. Hero cults were distinctly different from the attendance to the dead, which was meant only to afford comfort in the afterlife. In hero worship, as in the worship of all infernal powers, rituals were performed at night, black animals were sacrificed, and blood and other liquid offerings were poured beside the hero's tomb. The worship centered in general on the supposed place of the hero's tomb; the cult of some heroes, notably Hercules, was, however, widespread.
IN BRIEF: A person who is looked up to for having done something brave or noble.
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WordNet
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Meaning #1: a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
Meaning #2: the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem
Meaning #3: someone who fights for a cause
Synonyms: champion, fighter, paladin
Meaning #4: (classical mythology) a being of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits; often the offspring of a mortal and a god
