I strongly agree that the word has been watered down drastically. Another word that comes to mind is the word awesome. Much like hero it should be reserved for something or someone that is very special. Awesome basically means something worthy or capable of inspiring awe. I'm sorry but if you did a good or even a great job at work and your boss or coworkers said you did an awesome job, most likely, you really didn't. You may have done a great or even an excellent job, but it wasn't awesome. The Marine in the post above that ran into the building and saved several lives, killing an enemy along the way and helped bring several out despite his own wounds, what he did is an Awesome. He is also a Hero. God is awesome but all the more so. The shot you made on a deer last year wasn't.