epic
gb/ˈɛpɪk/ us/ˈɛpɪk/
B2
English
~ 8500
Senses
0 senses
adjective
slang
B2
property
1
extremely impressive or cool
Very informal: used to say that something is really great, exciting, or fun.
Usage pattern:
an epic [party/event/experience]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use epic in very formal writing, where it can sound childish or too casual. In formal essays or business emails, it is better to use words like impressive, outstanding, or excellent instead of epic.
Synonyms
awesome (Very common informal word; slightly less intense and more neutral than epic.)
|
amazing (Stresses surprise; can be used in more formal situations than epic.)
|
incredible (Focuses on how hard something is to believe; not as slangy as epic.)
Antonyms
terrible (Describes something very bad or unpleasant, the opposite of a great experience.)
|
boring (Describes something not exciting or interesting, opposite of what epic suggests.)
Collocations
epic party
|epic night
|epic game
|epic moment
|epic adventure
Themes
emotions
|entertainment
|social
|daily_life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- That concert was absolutely epic; I did not want it to end.
- We had an epic weekend at the beach with nonstop music and dancing.
- The final level of the game was epic, with huge battles and crazy special effects.
- Her birthday party was epic, with a live band and fireworks.
- The view from the top of the mountain was totally epic after the long climb.
Learner examples
- The movie was epic and everyone loved it.
- We had an epic day at the park with all our friends.
- The show last night was epic, and I want to see it again.
- Our trip to the city was epic and very fun.
- The match was epic, and our team finally won.
adjective
B2
property
2
very large, grand, or heroic
Very big and serious in size or effort, like a long and important story or event.
Usage pattern:
an epic [journey/battle/struggle/story]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think epic only means very good or cool (the slang sense). In this more neutral sense, epic mainly describes size, length, or importance, and can be used for both positive and difficult experiences, as in an epic struggle.
Synonyms
monumental (Emphasizes great size or importance; slightly more formal than epic.)
|
heroic (Focuses on great courage or noble effort more than on size or length.)
|
grand (Suggests impressive and large, but without the strong sense of long struggle that epic can have.)
Antonyms
minor (Suggests small, not very important, opposite of the large and serious sense of epic.)
|
small-scale (Emphasizes limited size or scope, the opposite of very large in scope.)
Collocations
epic journey
|epic battle
|epic struggle
|epic story
|epic adventure
|epic proportions
Themes
literature
|history
|travel
|society
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Their climb up the frozen mountain turned into an epic journey that took three weeks.
- The film tells an epic story of love and war across three generations.
- After years of epic struggle, the activists finally changed the law.
- The company faces an epic challenge as it tries to rebuild its reputation.
- Traffic was so bad that getting to the airport became an epic trip in itself.
Learner examples
- It was an epic journey across the country by train.
- They wrote an epic story about a great war.
- The team won the game after an epic fight.
- Finishing the project was an epic task for our small group.
- We had an epic trip that lasted six months.
Noun
B2
entity
3
long, grand book or film
A very long and big story in a book or movie, often about many people and important events.
Usage pattern:
an epic about [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think epic as a noun only refers to old poems. In modern English, it is very common to call long, grand movies or novels epics as well.
Synonyms
saga (Often suggests a long family story or series; may feel slightly more literary.)
|
blockbuster (Focuses on a big, commercially successful film; not always long in the way an epic is.)
Antonyms
short film (A film that is brief in length, opposite of a long epic movie.)
|
vignette (A brief scene or sketch, opposite of a long and wide-ranging story.)
Collocations
historical epic
|Hollywood epic
|fantasy epic
|war epic
|three-hour epic
|sweeping epic
Themes
entertainment
|literature
|media
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The director is known for historical epics that run for more than three hours.
- Her new novel is a sweeping epic about migration and identity.
- Critics praised the film as an epic of love and betrayal set during the revolution.
- The series turned a simple idea into a multi-season epic.
- He dreams of making a fantasy epic with huge battle scenes.
Learner examples
- We watched a three-hour epic about a famous king.
- The book is an epic about one family over many years.
- She wants to write a fantasy epic with dragons and magic.
- The movie is a war epic with many big battle scenes.
- His first film is a small drama, but his second is a big epic.
Noun
literary
C1
entity
4
long heroic narrative poem
A very long poem that tells a story about heroes, big fights, or the history of a group of people.
Usage pattern:
an epic about [a hero/a people]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse epic as a noun with epic poem and think they are different. In literature, an epic is by definition a long narrative poem, so epic and epic poem usually refer to the same kind of work.
Synonyms
heroic poem (Literary term that focuses on the heroic content but does not always imply the full length and scope of an epic.)
Antonyms
lyric (A short, personal poem expressing feelings, the opposite of a long, story-telling epic.)
Collocations
classical epic
|Greek epic
|heroic epic
|national epic
|verse epic
Themes
literature
|history
|education
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- Students read sections of the Greek epics in their literature class.
- The poet spent decades composing an epic about the founding of his country.
- Scholars still debate who first wrote the ancient Sanskrit epic.
- The national epic helped shape the country’s sense of identity.
- She prefers short lyrics to long epics about war and kings.
Learner examples
- The Iliad is a famous epic from ancient Greece.
- In class we read a part of an old epic about a brave hero.
- This epic tells the story of a long war.
- The poet wanted to write an epic about his people.
- He studied many epics in his literature course.
adjective
literary
C1
property
5
relating to epic poetry
About or like an epic poem, or used in epic poems.
Usage pattern:
epic [hero/tradition/form/simile]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think epic hero simply means a very brave person. In literary study, an epic hero is a specific character type found in traditional epic poems, with set roles and qualities.
Synonyms
heroic (In literary studies, heroic can describe features typical of epic poetry, but also has a wider everyday sense of brave.)
Antonyms
lyric (Describes poetry focused on personal feelings rather than long heroic narratives, contrasting with epic style.)
Collocations
epic hero
|epic tradition
|epic genre
|epic form
|epic simile
Themes
literature
|education
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- The course examines epic heroes from different cultures.
- Her novel borrows structures from the epic tradition.
- The poet uses an epic simile to describe the storm at sea.
- He is an expert on epic forms in medieval literature.
- The story blends epic themes with modern language.
Learner examples
- We studied the epic hero in our poetry class.
- This book talks about the epic tradition in Europe.
- She wrote a poem in an epic style.
- They learned how an epic simile works in old poems.
- The lecture was about epic and lyric poetry.
Grammar
Dictionary form
epic
IPA
GB/ˈɛpɪk/
US/ˈɛpɪk/
Syllables & stress
epic (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (epic)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: epic
Noun
- Base: epic
- Plural: epics
Word family
Forms
epics
noun
Core family
epically
adverb
Expressions
epic fantasy
1/ˈɛpɪk fˈæntəsi/
fixed phrase
large-scale fantasy story genre
A kind of fantasy story, usually in books or films, that is very long, has many characters, and shows big wars or events in an invented world.
Examples
- She loves epic fantasy with detailed maps and long histories of imaginary kingdoms.
- The author became famous for an epic fantasy series set in a world of rival empires.
epic poem
1/ˈɛpɪk pˈoʊəm/
fixed phrase
literary
long narrative poem about heroes
A very long poem that tells a story about heroes and big events.
Examples
- The Iliad is an epic poem that tells the story of the Trojan War.
- Students were asked to compare the epic poem with a modern novel about war.
epic poem
2/ˈɛpɪk pˈoʊəm/
fixed phrase
Long narrative poem about heroes
A very long poem that tells the story of a hero or important events in history or legend.
Examples
- Homer's 'Iliad' is an ancient Greek epic poem.
- The epic poem describes the journey of a legendary king.
epic fail
1/ˈɛpɪk fˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
informal
Very big and obvious failure
A very big and embarrassing mistake or failure.
Examples
- Spilling coffee on my boss was an epic fail.
- The presentation was an epic fail from start to finish.
epic fail
2/ˈɛpɪk fˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
slang
very big and obvious failure
A complete and very obvious failure, often in a way that looks silly or embarrassing.
Examples
- My attempt to bake a cake was an epic fail when it collapsed in the oven.
- The app launch was an epic fail, crashing for almost every user on the first day.
- He called the speech an epic fail after forgetting half of his notes.
epic fail
3/ˈɛpɪk fˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
informal
Very big embarrassing mistake or defeat
A very big and embarrassing mistake or lack of success.
Examples
- Forgetting my lines on stage was an epic fail.
- That presentation was an epic fail.