bravado
Americannoun
plural
bravadoes, bravadosnoun
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hegseth’s bravado has also been caricatured on “Saturday Night Live,” which opened two weeks in a row with a satirical portrayal of him as angry, dimwitted and hyped up on the violence of war.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026
But he criticised Hegseth's "brashness, the bravado, the bulldozing of questions" in briefings.
From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026
On the battlefield, the situation is far more complex — and dangerous — than the administration’s bravado suggests.
From Salon • Mar. 2, 2026
In an early review, Le Monde praised the book, saying: "Gisele Pelicot tells her story without bravado or self-pity."
From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026
There had been so much energy, so much bravado, but now—nothing.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
