prowess
Americannoun
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exceptional valor, bravery, or ability, especially in combat or battle.
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exceptional or superior ability, skill, or strength.
his prowess as a public speaker.
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a valiant or daring deed.
noun
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outstanding or superior skill or ability
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bravery or fearlessness, esp in battle
Other Word Forms
- prowessed adjective
Etymology
Origin of prowess
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French proesse, proece “goodness, bravery,” equivalent to prou prow 2 + -esse, from Latin -itia -ice
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.
Others are ready to play on varsity as freshmen because of their physical and mental prowess.
From Los Angeles Times
This may have been because he was a foreigner, or a calculating businessman, but Ms. Goldring makes the case that it was Holbein’s irreplaceable artistic prowess that kept him in the king’s good graces.
If anything, strategists say the U.S. technological and military prowess on display in Venezuela and Iran are likely raising questions in Beijing about military readiness.
From Barron's
For decades, mole catchers in the countryside have hung their carcasses on fences to be counted for payment and as evidence of their trapping prowess.
From BBC
Do these trends point to a regression in tactics by Premier League teams, who now favour physicality and directness over technical prowess?
From BBC
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.
