bravado

[ bruh-vah-doh ]

noun

, plural bra·va·does, bra·va·dos.

1. a pretentious, swaggering display of courage.

   Synonyms: braggadocio, bombast, bluster, brag

bravado

/ brəˈvɑːdəʊ /

noun

1. vaunted display of courage or self-confidence; swagger

Other Words From

• over·bra·vado noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bravado¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Spanish bravada (now bravata, from Italian ), equivalent to brav(o) “brave” + -ada noun suffix; brave, -ade ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of bravado¹

C16: from Spanish bravada (modern bravata ), from Old Italian bravare to challenge, provoke, from bravo wild, brave

Synonym Study

See courage.

Example Sentences

He is wearing an expensive-looking winter coat and a MAGA cap clipped to his backpack, and he is full of bravado over his hijinks during the Capitol takeover.

From ProPublica

On the airwaves, Shapiro presents his arguments with an element of bravado — he’s credited with coining the phrase “facts don’t care about your feelings.”

From Washington Post

We have to separate the aspirational from the intentional and determine which of the individuals saying despicable things on the internet are just practicing keyboard bravado, or they actually have the intent to do harm.

From Time

As the chopper above the Wharf’s Transit Pier Floating Stage threatened to overwhelm Butler’s voice, her brassy bravado still pierced the autumn air with clarity.

From Washington Post

Amid the cocksure bravado of the adventure-sports world, fluidity is read as weakness.

From Outside Online

Even the legendary 1980s televisions show Dallas is back on the air, selling its twenty-first century brand of Texas bravado.

From The Daily Beast

And we can listen to the pathetic, creepy bravado of a former vice president, wrong on nearly every decision he made.

From The Daily Beast

Picasso, with his polka-dot shirt and clashing tie attempted an air of bravado, but lost confidence by the minute.

From The Daily Beast

He sees the GOP moving back to its roots as the party advocating for more weapons and more bravado in American foreign policy.

From The Daily Beast

Zaharchenko on Friday night projected defiance rather than bravado, no doubt buoyed by the Moscow-sent materiel and fighters.

From The Daily Beast

Go hoodles, travel without even the protection of a hood; by way of bravado.

From Project Gutenberg

The answer was given slowly, without any bravado, but whatever energy of life there was in the speaker had gone into it.

From Project Gutenberg

He was surrounded with bravado and devilry, with all the disbanded sins of the Flanders regiments.

From Project Gutenberg

The poor little girl had lost her bravado of the night before.

From Project Gutenberg

Her manner at first is a mixture of alternate shyness and bravado.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bluster