Herculean vs Laborious - What's the difference?

Herculean is a synonym of laborious.

is that herculean is (herculean) while laborious is requiring much physical effort; toilsome.

* * herculean

(en adjective)

Of extraordinary might, power, size, etc.; of or relating to Hercules in size or strength.

* 1607 , Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra, i 3 :

But this is not the best:--look, pr'ythee, Charmian, / How this Herculean Roman does become / The carriage of his chafe.

* (rfdate) :

It was truly a Herculean effort. I never thought it was going to happen, but it did.

Requiring a huge amount of work; of extraordinary difficulty.

a Herculean''' labour'', ''a '''Herculean task

* 1748, Tobias George Smollett, The Adventures of Roderick Random

He replied in a dry manner, that I would find it a Herculean task to chastise everybody who should laugh at my expense;

* 2006 : Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear , commenting on the Bugatti Veyron

The guys at Volkswagen have a Herculean task.

* labourious * laborous * labourous

(en adjective)

Requiring much physical effort; toilsome.

Let us face it, our lives are miserable, laborious , and short.

Mentally difficult; painstaking

Industrious.

* Dryden

All with united force combine to drive / The lazy drones from the laborious hive.

* (requiring effort) painstaking, toilsome, worksome

* laboriously