courageous

[kuh-rey-juhs]

adjective

1. possessing or characterized by courage; brave.

   a courageous speech against the dictator.

courageous

/ kəˈreɪdʒəs /

adjective

1. possessing or expressing courage

Other Word Forms

• courageously adverb
• courageousness noun
• uncourageous adjective
• uncourageously adverb
• uncourageousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of courageous¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English corageous, from Anglo-French curajous, Old French corageus, from corage courage + -eus -eous

Synonym Study

See brave.

Example Sentences

Now little brother will have his moment in the spotlight after a courageous performance that saw him endure a powerful Mater Dei pass rush to throw for 290 yards and run for two touchdowns.

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“You are as brilliant as you were beautiful and as courageous as you were kind. We love you, we miss you, we thank you.”

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"It is a rare moment to hear such a courageous speech," said Health Secretary Wes Streeting, speaking later in the debate.

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"People were asked by the executive office to tell their stories for the research, and they have taken the courageous step to do that," she told BBC News NI.

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Every Sunday morning, our congregation would pray for the safety of our leaders, and for these courageous children and their families engaging in sit-ins and other direct forms of protest.

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Related Words

• adventurous 
• audacious 
• daring 
• fearless 
• gallant 
• gutsy 
• heroic 
• resolute 
• strong 
• tenacious 
• tough 
• valiant 

When To Use

What does courageous mean?

Courageous means having, showing, or done with courage—the quality of being ready and willing to face negative situations involving danger or pain.Courageous can be used to describe people who have courage, or the actions of such people when they face negative situations resolutely. A close synonym is brave.Being courageous is often thought of as facing such situations without fear, but it also involves facing them despite fear. In other words, someone who’s courageous might not be fearless, but they face the dangerous, difficult, or frightening situation anyway.Example: I especially want to thank our courageous first responders, who face danger every day but still, somehow, decide to show up and put the wellbeing of other people before their own safety.