brave

brave (brāv) adjective

braver, bravest

braved, braving, braves

[Middle English, from Old French, from Old Italian or Old Spanish bravo, wild, brave, excellent, probably from Vulgar Latin *brabus, from Latin barbarus. See barbarous.]

braveʹly adverb

braveʹness noun

Synonyms: brave, courageous, fearless, intrepid, bold, audacious, valiant, valorous, doughty, mettlesome, plucky, dauntless, undaunted. These adjectives all mean having or showing courage under difficult or dangerous conditions. Brave, the least specific, is frequently associated with an innate quality: "Familiarity with danger makes a brave man braver, but less daring" (Herman Melville). Courageous implies an act of consciously rising to a specific test by drawing on a reserve of inner strength: The young platoon leader set a courageous example for his soldiers by leading them safely into and out of jungle territory held by the enemy. Fearless emphasizes absence of fear and resolute self-possession: "world-class[boating]races for fearless loners willing to face the distinct possibility of being run down, dismasted, capsized, attacked by whales" (Jo Ann Morse Ridley). Intrepid sometimes suggests invulnerability to fear: Intrepid pioneers settled the American West. Bold stresses not only readiness to meet danger or difficulty but often also a tendency to seek it out: "If we shrink from the hard contests where men must win at the hazard of their lives . . . then bolder and stronger peoples will pass us by" (Theodore Roosevelt). Audacious implies extreme confidence and boldness: "To demand these God-given rights is to seek black powerwhat I call audacious power" (Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.). Valiant, said principally of persons, suggests the bravery of a hero or a heroine: "a sympathetic and detailed biography that sees Hemingway as a valiant and moral man" (New York Times). Valorous applies to the deeds of heros and heroines: "Her passengers, the other hostages, will never forget her calm, confident, valorous work" (William W. Bradley). Doughty, a bit old-fashioned in flavor and often used humorously, suggests stalwartness: The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination. Mettlesome stresses spirit and love of challenge: The mettlesome actress resumed her career after recovering from a stroke. Plucky emphasizes spirit and heart in the face of unfavorable odds: "Everybody was . . . anxious to show these Belgians what England thought of their plucky little country" (H.G. Wells). Dauntless refers to courage that resists subjection or intimidation: "So faithful in love, and so dauntless in war,/There never was knight like the young Lochinvar" (Sir Walter Scott). Undaunted suggests courage and resolve that persist after being put to the test: "Death and sorrow will be the companions of our journey; hardship our garment; constancy and valor our only shield. We must be united, we must be undaunted, we must be inflexible" (Winston S. Churchill). See also synonyms at defy.