Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Greek Mythology A cruel king of Corinth condemned forever to roll a huge stone up a hill in Hades only to have it roll down again on nearing the top.
Wiktionary
- n. tragic figure in Greek mythology doomed eternally to roll a boulder up a hill in Tartarus, a part of Hades.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Class. Myth.) A king of Corinth, son of Æolus, famed for his cunning. He was killed by Theseus, and in the lower world was condemned by Pluto to roll to the top of a hill a huge stone, which constantly rolled back again, making his task incessant.
WordNet 3.0
- n. (Greek legend) a king in ancient Greece who offended Zeus and whose punishment was to roll a huge boulder to the top of a steep hill; each time the boulder neared the top it rolled back down and Sisyphus was forced to start again
Etymologies
- From Ancient Greek Σίσυφος. (Wiktionary)
- Latin Sisyphus, from Greek Sisuphos. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“I just want to point out that Sisyphus is not a patient with a mental health problem.”
“She wrote her impressions in letters sent from the places she visited (1911 – 1912), published in a book entitled Sisyphus-Arbeit (1911), where she related how she tried desperately to inform Jewish communities of the gravity of the situation.”
“I think Jim Styczinski, a lifelong Twins fan who blogs as "Sisyphus" at The Nihilist in Golf Pants, gave me the answer.”
“McAdam Freud's "Sisyphus," in which her looser style is reminiscent of the exposed, vulnerable and sometimes angst-ridden figures in the work of father Lucian.”
“— Wikipedia entry for 'Sisyphus'I always liked and respected Mats Sundin, even long before I moved to Toronto.”
“The filing system (code name Sisyphus) which goes from “Anti Liberal “to “Wimmin” is above You can just make out two Moses baskets which are about to be traded for cots.”
“The pop rock sound returns though for "Sisyphus" and "Nur Rock´n Roll", a couple of fairly nondescript affairs.”
Latest reviews @ Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website
“It is the curse of Sisyphus who can't seem to stop rolling the falling object back up the hill.”
The Huffington Post: George Elerick: Jesus, Johnny Depp And Christian Terrorists
“Or is he doomed to a life of eternal resistance carrying forever on like Sisyphus?”
“Elsewhere … TNR on Outsourcing, Prof. Mankiw is like Sisyphus, doomed for eternity to point out to people that they — including the state — face trade-offs.”
Peak Load Pricing at the Movies, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘Sisyphus’.
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LIT - Greco-Latin gods and heroes
Phaeton, Metis, Lachesis, Juventas, Hestia, Hellen, Gaia, Clotho, Cadmus, Atropos, Athena, Mnemosyne and 198 more...
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LIT - Iliad - key words and protagonists
abduct, abducting, abductor, Achaea, Achaean, Achilles, advise, Aegean, Aegean Sea, Aegina, aegis, Aeneas and 713 more...
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Words from Goethe's Italian Journey
melic, ostler, brazier, tenterhooks, pannier, cortege, bier, pall, cloister, biretta, tonsured, lazzarone and 27 more...
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♥
ambrosia, inamorata, gossamer, lily-white, hummingbird, roucoulement, poppy, daisy, calypso, lunula, lamb, dove and 1526 more...
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Inspiring eloquence
peripatetic, prevaricate, contrapuntal, defenestration, incontrovertible, facetious, curmudgeonly, assuaged, dichotomy, peccadillos, monopsony, coda and 146 more...
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rememberers
prolix, ageusia, animadversion, anodyne, antic, arabesque, beadle, brachymetropia, colophon, desquamation, diaphoresis, diegesis and 3251 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for Sisyphus.
jesse74 Sisyphus was famed as the craftiest of men. When Death came to fetch him, Sisyphus put him into fetters, so that no one died till Ares came and freed Death, and delivered Sisyphus into his custody. But Sisyphus was not yet at the end of his resources. For before he died he told his wife that when he was gone she was not to offer the usual sacrifice to the dead. So in the under world he complained that his wife was neglecting her duty, and he persuaded Hades to allow him to go back to the upper world and expostulate with her. But when he got back to Corinth he positively refused to return, until forcibly carried off by Hermes. 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica. Feb 21, 2012