What does "hydra" mean?
A dragon-like creature with many heads and the ability to regrow them when maimed.
Hydra
/ˈhaɪdɹə/ name, noun
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A dragon-like creature with many heads and the ability to regrow them when maimed.
- Grammar: hydra is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: big dipper, constellation, creature, dragon.
- Usage evidence: "The lizard dares to face the hydra." is like "Someone is attacking an ash tree with a sickle," one of our friends tells us.
How to use "hydra"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hydra" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hydra" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hydra" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hydra" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hydra" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "big dipper" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hydra", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A dragon-like creature with many heads and the ability to regrow them when maimed.
- 2 small tubular solitary freshwater hydrozoan polyp wordnet
- 3 Any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera, having a naked cylindrical body and an oral opening surrounded by tentacles.
- 4 trouble that cannot be overcome by a single effort because of its many aspects or its persistent and pervasive quality wordnet
- 5 A complex, multifarious problem or situation that cannot be easily and rapidly solved. figuratively
"Because the statute is so vaguely worded, award decisions are habitually based on case law, the growing mountain of which is a hydra of rulings that point in so many directions that almost any decision can be defended or overturned on appeal, depending on how smart your lawyer is and which precedent he selects to argue your case."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 (Greek mythology) monster with nine heads; when struck off each head was replaced by two new ones wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A mythological serpent with many heads, slain by Hercules as one of his twelve labours. Greek
- 2 A spring constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a serpent. It lies just south of the zodiac and contains the star Alphard.
"At night I lie dry-eyed on my little bed and turn my head to and fro to catch sight of one little star by one little star along the tail of Hydra, and think you are alive, you survive. Is this not what you wanted?"
- 3 One of Pluto's moons.
- 4 One of the Saronic Islands in the Aegean Sea.
- 5 A commune in Algiers Province, Algeria.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
""The lizard dares to face the hydra." is like "Someone is attacking an ash tree with a sickle," one of our friends tells us."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hydra"?
Common synonyms include: big dipper, constellation, creature, dragon, freshwater polyp, harpy.
How do you use "hydra" in a sentence?
"The lizard dares to face the hydra." is like "Someone is attacking an ash tree with a sickle," one of our friends tells us.
How do you pronounce "hydra"?
Pronounced /ˈhaɪdɹə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
After the Hydra, from Greek mythology, which grew two new heads every time one of its heads was cut off. The biology sense alludes to the budding method of asexual reproduction that the hydra practices, similar to growing new heads. The figurative sense refers to how the creature could not be killed by a swift, decisive solution (in contrast to a Gordian knot).
Etymology 2
From Latin Hydra, the mythical serpent, originally from Ancient Greek ὕδρα (húdra), from Proto-Indo-European *údreh₂ (“aquatic”). Doublet of otter.