epic
Americanadjective
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noting or pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upon a hero, in which a series of great achievements or events is narrated in elevated style.
Homer's Iliad is an epic poem.
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resembling or suggesting such poetry.
an epic novel on the founding of the country.
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heroic; majestic; impressively great.
the epic events of the war.
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of unusually great size or extent.
a crime wave of epic proportions.
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Slang. very impressive; spectacular; awesome.
Their burgers and fries are epic!
adverb
noun
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an epic poem.
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epic poetry.
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any composition resembling an epic.
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something worthy to form the subject of an epic.
The defense of the Alamo is an American epic.
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Also called Old Ionic. Epic. the Greek dialect represented in the Iliad and the Odyssey, apparently Aeolic modified by Ionic.
noun
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a long narrative poem recounting in elevated style the deeds of a legendary hero, esp one originating in oral folk tradition
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the genre of epic poetry
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any work of literature, film, etc, having heroic deeds for its subject matter or having other qualities associated with the epic
a Hollywood epic
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an episode in the lives of men in which heroic deeds are performed or attempted
the epic of Scott's expedition to the South Pole
adjective
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denoting, relating to, or characteristic of an epic or epics
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of heroic or impressive proportions
an epic voyage
Discover More
Figuratively, any task of great magnitude may be called “epic,” as in an “epic feat” or an “epic undertaking.”
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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epiclikeadjective
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nonepicadjective
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nonepicaladjective
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semiepicadjective
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semiepicaladjective
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superepicadjective
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unepicadjective
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epicallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of epic
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin epicus, from Greek epikós; see epos, -ic
Explanation
An epic is a long poem or other work of art celebrating heroic feats. After you sail around the world for seven years, fighting corruption and planting vegetable gardens, some poet will surely write the epic of your adventures. Epic comes from the Greek word for song, because Greek poets like Homer sang their poems. We tend to use epic for long, ambitious novels or movies, especially if they involve a long journey. Epic can be used as an adjective to describe something historically important, lasting and complex. Perhaps your great-grandfather was a soldier in the epic struggle of World War One. Your three day, sleepless card poker game could be described as epic.
Vocabulary lists containing epic
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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AP English Lit exam terms
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Poetry: Genres
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
On my last trip abroad, I took eight books for a three-week holiday, ranging from Frank Herbert's sci-fi epic Dune to James Ellroy's noir throwback The Black Dahlia.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Christopher Nolan's adaptation of "The Odyssey" has not only lured legions of fans to cinemas, but sparked huge interest in the UK in Homer's epic poem and other Greek and Roman mythology works.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Nadira Goffe argues that watching the film in 4DX—which features, among other things, scents, moving chairs, and sprays of water—is the superior way to experience the epic adventure.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
Plus, padel is taking over pickleball’s game, and Christopher Nolan breaks down an epic scene from “The Odyssey.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
I want to remind him that he almost messed up his epic relationship, but that’s bad form in front of our future people; I’ll save it for when we’re alone.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Damon has explained the decline of mid-sized movies and outsized epics in other venues.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
By emulating epics like Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, the live-action “House of David” opens its story to a much broader audience than most Christian content.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2026
The San Fernando Valley native is a brilliant director who has made sprawling, messy epics about imperfect people synonymous with his name, like John Ford with Westerns or A24 with art house flicks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
The play will be "a rambunctious comedy of deception and disguise inspired by the grand swashbuckling epics of stage and screen", and will reach the stage in early 2027, the announcement said.
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026
The novelist would later win the Nobel Prize, but he was already famous for his classic Southern epics like The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
