heroism means the qualities characteristic of a hero, such as courage, bravery, fortitude, selflessness, etc.; the display of such qualities. It carries an Arena rating of 1361, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, heroism ranks #1,537 of 14,308 for Most Malleable Words, #2,328 of 14,438 for Most Storied Words, #7,082 of 14,423 for Most Sublime Words, #7,084 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words.
heroism is pronounced /ˈhɛɹəʊɪzəm/.
Why “heroism” is a great word
The display of courage, fortitude, and selflessness in the pursuit of a noble end. From French héroïsme, from héros ("hero") + the suffix -isme ("-ism"), with the French héros ultimately from Latin hērōs, from Greek hērōs ("hero, demigod"). Unlike "bravery," which denotes facing danger without fear but lacks nobility of purpose, or "martyrdom," which emphasizes suffering death for belief, heroism is the forged alloy: bravery given purpose and shaped by sacrifice. It is the firefighter ascending through smoke toward the unheard voice, the quiet defiance of a whispered truth in a room of shouted lies, the stubborn, uncelebrated labor to mend what is broken—not the absence of trembling, but the decision to move despite it, carrying warmth forward like a cupped palm around a dying ember.
Etymology
From French héroïsme, equivalent to hero + -ism.
noun
- The qualities characteristic of a hero, such as courage, bravery, fortitude, selflessness, etc.; the display of such qualities.“He does all sorts of cool shit, and he subtly rediscovers his own heroism without making a big thing out of it. But he’s a supporting character, and he knows it.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.