augean Definition
- 1extremely formidable or difficult and unpleasant; requiring a huge effort to overcome
- 2pertaining to or resembling the Augean stables, which were said to be so filthy as to require Hercules to clean them
Using augean: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "augean" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
Cleaning up the corruption in the government is an augean task.
Example
The company faced the augean challenge of restructuring its entire business model.
Example
The augean conditions of the prison made it almost impossible for the inmates to live in humane conditions.
augean Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms for augean
- difficult
- challenging
- daunting
- arduous
- formidable
Antonyms for augean
- easy
- simple
Phrases with augean
Augean stables
a place or situation marked by extreme filthiness, corruption, or degradation
Example
The city's public transportation system is like the Augean stables, with years of neglect and mismanagement resulting in a broken and inefficient system.
to undertake a difficult or unpleasant task that has been avoided for a long time
Example
The new CEO had to clean the Augean stables of the company's finances, which had been mismanaged for years.
Origins of augean
from Augeas, a mythical king of Elis whose stables were cleaned by Hercules in one day
Summary: augean in Brief
'Augean' [aw-jee-uhn] is an adjective that describes something extremely difficult, unpleasant, or formidable. It is often used to describe tasks or situations that require a huge effort to overcome, such as 'Cleaning up the corruption in the government is an augean task.' The phrase 'Augean stables' refers to a place or situation marked by extreme filthiness, corruption, or degradation, while the idiom 'clean the Augean stables' means to undertake a difficult or unpleasant task that has been avoided for a long time.
