bravado

[ bruh-vah-doh ]

/ brəˈvɑ doʊ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bravado ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural bra·va·does, bra·va·dos.

a pretentious, swaggering display of courage.

Nearby words

braun, karl ferdinand, braunite, braunschweig, braunschweiger, brava, bravado, bravais lattice, brave, brave face, put on a, brave it out, brave new world

Origin of bravado

1575–85; < Spanish bravada (now bravata < It), equivalent to brav(o) brave + -ada -ade¹

SYNONYMS FOR bravado

brag, bluster, bombast, braggadocio.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bravado ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formso·ver·bra·va·do, noun

Can be confusedbravery bravado bravura

Synonym study

See courage.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bravado

Even the legendary 1980s televisions show Dallas is back on the air, selling its twenty-first century brand of Texas bravado.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Picasso, with his polka-dot shirt and clashing tie attempted an air of bravado, but lost confidence by the minute.
Did Picasso Try to Steal the Mona Lisa?|Nick Mafi|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Zaharchenko on Friday night projected defiance rather than bravado, no doubt buoyed by the Moscow-sent materiel and fighters.
Ukraine Rebels Boast About Troops and Tanks Coming from Russia|Jamie Dettmer|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It perfectly illustrates the combination of bravado, real toughness, and a kind of lost-little-boy appeal that he has with women.
The Stacks: Mr. Bad Taste and Trouble Himself: Robert Mitchum|Robert Ward|July 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

They have a great sense of performance, bravado, and audacity.
The Great Character Actor: Guy Pearce on His Brilliant Career, From ‘Priscilla’ to ‘The Rover’|Richard Porton|May 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During this she observed one who in a bravado tossed his pike.
Amusing Prose Chap Books|Various
Often many of the things he does are performed in a spirit of bravado, simply because he does not wish to appear "green."
Herself|E. B. Lowry
All his bravado gone, he was afraid to venture out even to wet his parched throat at the creek.
Wunpost|Dane Coolidge
In Jersey woods, where a wiser race has come, they never challenge a near foe; they make no bravado rushes.
Bannertail|Ernest Thompson Seton
Bravado intermingled with blank surprise, he came haltingly to his feet.
Then I'll Come Back to You|Larry Evans

British Dictionary definitions for bravado

bravado

/ (brəˈvɑːdəʊ) /

noun plural -does or -dos

vaunted display of courage or self-confidence; swagger

Word Origin for bravado

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bravado

bravado

1580s, from French bravade "bragging, boasting," from Italian bravata "bragging, boasting" (16c.), from bravare "brag, boast, be defiant," from bravo (see brave (adj.)). The English word was influenced in form by Spanish words ending in -ado.

bravado

noun, plural bra·va·does, bra·va·dos.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of bravado

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for bravado

British Dictionary definitions for bravado

bravado

noun plural -does or -dos

Word Origin for bravado

Word Origin and History for bravado

bravado