doughty
adjective
steadfastly courageous and resolute; valiant.
doughty
1 American
[dou-tee]
/ ˈdaʊ ti /
adjective
doughtier,
doughtiest
Doughty
2
American
[dou-tee]
/ ˈdaʊ ti /
noun
Doughty
1
British
/ ˈdaʊtɪ /
noun
doughty
2
British
/ ˈdaʊtɪ /
adjective
Other Word Forms
- doughtily adverb
- doughtiness noun
- undoughty adjective
Etymology
Origin of doughty
before 1000; Middle English; Old English dohtig worthy, equivalent to *doht worth (cognate with Old High German toht; see dow, -th 1) + -ig -y 1; replacing Old English dyhtig, cognate with German tüchtig
Explanation
Someone who's doughty is brave and determined, like a doughty knight who fearlessly rides off to slay a terrifying giant. At first glance, you might confuse doughty with doughy, but the two words are quite different in meaning. Doughy things are soft and squishy, like unbaked bread. A doughty person is valiant and steadfast — like a doughty explorer who braves wild jungles and piranha-infested rivers in order to find the ruins of an ancient city. The word is derived from a root that means "strong."
Vocabulary lists containing doughty
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.
Young readers will cheer for the doughty girl, who braves the razored depths to haul the baby dragon to safety in this satisfying, sumptuously illustrated fable translated from the French by Alyson Waters.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025
In public he has been a doughty defender of independence, a parliamentary performer not averse to barracking and heckling his political opponents.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2024
His doughty performance, punctuated by that final dash to victory, spoke the loudest.
From Washington Post • Jan. 29, 2023
It is that doughty and camp venue that POP sometimes uses for endearingly low-budget and often farcical opera productions, but with high musical standards.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2023
"Ser Vardis is a doughty fighter. He will make short work of the sellsword."
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
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.
