Dictionary / brave
brave
- adjective
- noun
- verb
- from Middle French
Strong in the face of fear; courageous.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “brave” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
adjective · etymology 1
- Strong in the face of fear; courageous.
Do not fret, dear. You must be brave and strong, and help me through the horrible task. If you only knew what an effort it is to me to tell of this fearful thing at all, you would understand how much I need your help.1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula, Westminster [London]: Archibald Constable and Company, […], →OCLC:
- Making a fine show or display.
Wear my dagger with the braver grace.c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623,
- UKeuphemisticFoolish or unwise.
Older & obsolete senses (1)
- obsoleteHaving any sort of superiority or excellence.
noun · etymology 1
No current senses for this part of speech — see older senses.
Older & obsolete senses (3)
- datedA Native American warrior.
- obsoleteA man daring beyond discretion; a bully.
- obsoleteA challenge; a defiance; bravado.
verb · etymology 2
- transitiveTo encounter or withstand with courage and fortitude, to defy, to provoke.
After braving tricks on the high-dive, he braved a jump off the first diving platform.
Older & obsolete senses (1)
- obsoletetransitiveTo adorn; to make fine or showy.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (6)
- nouna North American Indian warrior
- nounpeople who are brave
- verbface and withstand with courage — also: weather, endure, brave out
- adjectivepossessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching; - Herman Melville; - William Wordsworth — also: courageous
- adjectiveinvulnerable to fear or intimidation — also: audacious, dauntless, fearless, hardy, intrepid
- adjectivebrightly colored and showy — also: braw, gay
Synonyms: adventurous, mettlesome, aweless, bad, bold, brass-balled, chivalrous, courageous, daredevil, daring, dauntless, doughty
Antonyms: afraid, cowardly, cautious, fearful, frightened, meek, shy, timid
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
Etymology 1 (adjective, noun)
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)brave
- Middle Frenchbrave
- Italianbravo
From Middle French brave, borrowed from Italian bravo, itself of uncertain origin (see there). Doublet of bravo.
Etymology 2 (verb)
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)brave
- Middle Frenchbraver
- Middle Frenchbrave
From Middle French braver, from brave.
Derivatives — words built from “brave”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “brave” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “brave” came from before it was English.
Etymology 1 (adjective, noun)
The source marks part of this history as uncertain (it uses words like “perhaps” or “possibly”). Read the full etymology above before treating any single origin as certain.
Etymology 2 (verb)
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Wiktionary’s etymology does not give a separate meaning for the earliest form of “brave”, so we don’t state one. The historical dictionary entry below shows how the word was understood in 1913.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
brave a. [F. brave, It. or Sp. bravo, (orig.) fierce, wild, savage, prob. from. L. barbarus. See Barbarous, and cf. Bravo.]
- Bold; courageous; daring; intrepid; -- opposed to cowardly; as, a brave man; a brave act.
- Having any sort of superiority or excellence; -- especially such as in conspicuous.
- Making a fine show or display.
brave n.
- A brave person; one who is daring.
- Specifically, an Indian warrior.
- A man daring beyond discretion; a bully.
- A challenge; a defiance; bravado.
brave v. t.
- To encounter with courage and fortitude; to set at defiance; to defy; to dare.
- To adorn; to make fine or showy.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
adjectiveMeaning: Strong in the face of fear; courageous.
Do not fret, dear. You must be brave and strong, and help me through the horrible task. If you only knew what an effort it is to me to tell of this fearful thing at all, you would understand how much I need your help.1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula, Westminster [London]: Archibald Constable and Company, […], →OCLC:
[…]he has been so brave, giving it all a dignity.1987, Michael Grumley, The Last Diary:
adjectiveMeaning: Making a fine show or display.
Wear my dagger with the braver grace.c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623,
For I have gold, and therefore will be brave. / In silks I'll rattle it of every color.1611, John Cooke, Greene's Tu Quoque:
verbMeaning: To encounter or withstand with courage and fortitude, to defy, to provoke.
After braving tricks on the high-dive, he braved a jump off the first diving platform.
He braved the storm and spent the night outside. In the morning, he braved his parents' wrath.
nounMeaning: people who are brave
the home of the free and the brave
verbMeaning: face and withstand with courage
She braved the elements
adjectiveMeaning: possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching; - Herman Melville; - William Wordsworth
Familiarity with danger makes a brave man braver but less daring
adjectiveMeaning: brightly colored and showy
girls decked out in brave new dresses
brave banners flying
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
brave
/bɹeɪv/
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
brave
/bɹeɪv/ · adjective, noun, verb
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “brave” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “brave” and what each means:
Step 4 — Original meaning
Read the etymology on the page. What does it tell you about the word’s earlier meaning?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 5 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — brave
Origin: D. Middle French (Middle French brave)
Journey: English brave ← Middle French brave ← Italian bravo
Some derivatives: braveheart, bravehearted, bravehood, braveish, bravely, braven, braveness, bravesome
Etymology: From Middle French brave, borrowed from Italian bravo, itself of uncertain origin (see there). Doublet of bravo.
Sources: Wiktionary “brave” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/brave#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/brave