valiant
Americanadjective
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boldly courageous; brave; stout-hearted.
a valiant soldier.
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marked by or showing bravery or valor; heroic.
to make a valiant effort.
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worthy; excellent.
adjective
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courageous, intrepid, or stout-hearted; brave
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marked by bravery or courage
a valiant deed
Synonym Usage
See brave.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of valiant
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English valia(u)nt, from Anglo-French; Middle French vaillant, present participle of valoir “to be of worth,” Latin valēre; see -ant
Explanation
It was pretty courageous of the automaker Plymouth to name a car the "Valiant" in the 1960s and 70s because that term usually refers to a hero or describes a really determined, or valiant, effort that doesn't end well. Synonyms for valiant include "heroic" and "courageous," so it isn’t surprising that those who serve in the military often are called valiant. The 14th-century French origins of the word are "bold" or "of worth," which makes the adjective valiant a good one for describing ordinary people who put all they have into something, making their efforts valiant, even if they fail. The Plymouth Valiant, by the way, was considered a strong and successful car, though valiant usually refers to people.
Vocabulary lists containing valiant
"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
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Much Ado About Nothing
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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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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.
Shreyas played a valiant innings having chosen to bat, scoring an unbeaten 80 from 49 balls from number four, but he was offered little support by team-mates as India finished on 158-7.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
He called the team’s effort to push eventual Big Ten champion Purdue valiant, but the games ahead in March simply mean more to the Bruins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2026
With those margins, near-misses can turn into valiant defeats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026
Ish Sodhi hit a valiant 33 off 15 balls before he fell as the last wicket with New Zealand bowled out in 19.4 overs.
From Barron's ● Jan. 31, 2026
Ron made a valiant effort to get up again but fell back with a whimper of pain.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
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.
