Jump To:

• gallant
  gallant

  adjective

  brave, spirited, noble-minded, or chivalrous.
• Gallant
  Gallant

  noun

  Mavis, 1922–2014, Canadian short-story writer.

Trivia Time

Which literary character is often portrayed as gallant?

Test Your Knowledge

gallant

¹ American  

[gal-uhnt, guh-lant, -lahnt, gal-uhnt, guh-lant, -lahnt, gal-uhnt, guh-lant, -lahnt] / ˈgæl ənt, gəˈlænt, -ˈlɑnt, ˈgæl ənt, gəˈlænt, -ˈlɑnt, ˈgæl ənt, gəˈlænt, -ˈlɑnt /

adjective

1. 

   brave, spirited, noble-minded, or chivalrous.

   a gallant knight; a gallant rescue attempt.

   Synonyms:

   intrepid, daring, bold, heroic, courageous, valorous

2. exceptionally polite and attentive to others, especially to women; courtly.

   Synonyms:

   courteous, chivalrous

3. stately; grand.

   a gallant pageant.

4. showy, colorful, or stylish, as in dress; magnificent.

5. amorous; amatory.

---

noun

• gallants
  plural

1. a brave, noble-minded, or chivalrous man.

2. a man exceptionally attentive to women.

3. a stylish and dashing man.

4. a suitor or lover.

5. a paramour.

verb (used with object)

1. to court or act as a lover of (a woman).

2. to escort (a woman).

verb (used without object)

1. to attend or pay court as a gallant.

Gallant ² American  

[gal-uhnt] / ˈgæl ənt /

noun

1. Mavis, 1922–2014, Canadian short-story writer.

---

gallant British  

adjective

1. brave and high-spirited; courageous and honourable; dashing

   a gallant warrior

2. (of a man) attentive to women; chivalrous

3. imposing; dignified; stately

   a gallant ship

4. archaic showy in dress

---

noun

1. a woman's lover or suitor

2. a dashing or fashionable young man, esp one who pursues women

3. a brave, high-spirited, or adventurous man

verb

1. to court or flirt (with)

2. (tr) to attend or escort (a woman)

Synonym Usage

See brave.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gallantness
  noun
• supergallantness
  noun
• quasi-gallant
  adjective
• supergallant
  adjective
• ungallant
  adjective
• gallantly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• gallants
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gallant

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English gala(u)nt, from Old French galant, present participle of galer “to amuse oneself, make merry,” from unattested Gallo-Romance walāre, derivative of unattested Frankish wala “good, happy”; see well ¹, weal ¹

Explanation

If you volunteer to remove a huge, hairy spider from your bathroom ceiling, your whole family will be grateful for your gallant actions. The adjective gallant means "heroic or brave." In the past, gallant was used to describe a man's behavior toward a woman, especially if he saved her from something or helped her with something she was unable to do on her own. It can still be used that way, but more often it describes any kind of bravery, and it is just as correct to describe a woman's bravery as gallant as it is a man's.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gallant Gallant gallants

It suggested Williams was being given as long as possible to declare herself fit after her knee swelled up during a gallant three-set loss to 20-year-old Joint.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

James and his teammates gave a gallant effort Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena, but the defending champion proved to be more than the Lakers could handle.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2026

The statement, from Major General Michael Onoja, a defence headquarters spokesman, said that the attack "resulted in the loss of a few brave and gallant soldiers", without disclosing a toll or who was killed.

From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026

Similarly, not all Faithfuls are gallant, as is confirmed by Michael Rapaport’s rabid behavior.

From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2026

From the classroom, someone turned the radio on: gallant Biafran soldiers were completing a mopping-up operation in a sector Ugwu did not hear clearly.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

During that sleepless night, Mr. Gallant came to two conclusions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Inexplicably, Mr. Gallant still couldn’t get in to see Mr. Netanyahu.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

When Mr. Gallant entered the meeting room a few hours later, he was thus surprised to see Benny Gantz, the top-polling opposition leader, already present, along with Mr. Gantz’s political partner, Gadi Eisenkot.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

“I told Gallant, ‘You can’t do that,’ ” Mr. Netanyahu told us.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

“Will you be my dark-eyed Prince Gallant and protect me from pigs? Sing to me? Whisk me away to tall trees ” she trailed off to nothing.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

By Part 3, we are in Renaissance France, where gallants fight with one-handed swords in 1547.

From New York Times ● Aug. 11, 2012

The crowd of shadowy gallants that at all times surrounded her are dexterously manipulated.

From Time Magazine Archive

For 36 years the track was a playground for Creole gallants and their blooded plantation ponies, for the stock fairs and horse races of New Orleans' Mechanics' Society.

From Time Magazine Archive

The periwigged gallants, for instance, have crude methods of bathing.

From Time Magazine Archive

These men, a picked striking force of gallants, resumed the onslaughts of the previous afternoon.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

• courageous
• courtly
• fearless
• gritty
• heroic
• honorable
• noble
• plucky
• quixotic
• valiant