bravado

American  

[bruh-vah-doh] / brəˈvɑ doʊ /

noun

plural

bravadoes, bravados

1. a pretentious, swaggering display of courage.

   Synonyms:

   braggadocio, bombast, bluster, brag

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bravado British  

/ brəˈvɑːdəʊ /

noun

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

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Related Words

See courage.

Other Word Forms

• overbravado noun

Etymology

Origin of bravado

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

Example Sentences

“I completely lost my equilibrium,” he says with none of the bravado that was previously a trademark.

From Los Angeles Times

When the trooper, too, began to get teary, Truman fell back on his strongman act of bravado.

From Literature

This Shakespearean traveling show, now at the Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood through Saturday, is a daredevil feat of memory, theatrical bravado and cardio fitness.

From Los Angeles Times

Cignetti’s gotten a lot of attention for his bravado and his menacing sideline presence, in which he paces and stares like a customer who thinks the butcher’s hiding the best T-bones.

From The Wall Street Journal

Amid true danger in intractable hot spots, this is rhetoric for the sake of bravado.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bluster