INDEX:
1. not afraid when you are in a dangerous or frightening situation
2. not afraid to do possibly dangerous things
3. not afraid to do something new and different
4. the ability to behave bravely
5. to be brave enough to do something
6. not brave
7. to decide not to do something because you are too frightened
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ CONFIDENT/NOT CONFIDENT
↑ FRIGHTENED/FRIGHTENING
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1. not afraid when you are in a dangerous or frightening situation
▷ brave /breɪv/ [adjective]
someone who is brave does not show that they are afraid in a frightening situation or when they have to do something dangerous, painful, or unpleasant :
▪ You have to be very brave to be a fireman.
▪ a brave rescue attempt
▪ No matter how hard I tried to be brave and strong, I couldn’t stop myself from crying.
▪ I wasn’t sure if I was being brave or stupid.
it is brave of somebody to do something
▪ It was very brave of you to tell her the truth.
be brave
used to tell someone to behave bravely
▪ Come on, be brave. Just grit your teeth and it will all be over in no time.
bravely [adverb]
▪ Most of the soldiers who fought so bravely in the war were no older than twenty.
▷ courageous /kəˈreɪdʒəs/ [adjective] especially written
someone who is courageous behaves very bravely, often for a long period, and especially when they are fighting for something they believe in or suffering great pain :
▪ After a courageous struggle against cancer, Garcia died at the age of thirty.
▪ Few will forget her courageous stand against inequality and injustice.
▪ But for the actions of a few courageous individuals, we might all have died.
courageously [adverb]
▪ This was a triumph for all those who had courageously demanded reform.
▷ heroic /hɪˈrəʊɪk/ [adjective]
extremely brave and admired by a lot of people :
▪ Amy Johnson is famous for her heroic solo flight from Britain to Australia in 1930.
▪ Although the nationalists put up heroic resistance, the revolt was crushed in three days.
▪ The film is a warm tribute to the heroic pilots of C Division.
heroism /ˈherəʊɪz ə m/ [uncountable noun]
heroic behaviour :
▪ Nelson’s heroism in battle won him many honours.
▷ hero/heroine /ˈhɪ ə rəʊ, ˈherəʊɪn/ [countable noun]
someone who does something extremely brave and is admired by a lot of people. Use hero about a man or a woman, use heroine about a woman :
▪ A famous World War Two hero, he later became a U.S. senator.
▪ Don’t try to be a hero. You’ll only get hurt.
▪ a heroine of the Resistance
2. not afraid to do possibly dangerous things
▷ daring /ˈde ə rɪŋ/ [adjective]
not afraid of taking risks or doing dangerous things, or involving a lot of risks :
▪ He would often do very foolish things just to prove how daring he was.
▪ Three inmates fled the prison in a daring tunnel escape.
▪ It is a particularly daring stunt, involving being tied up and suspended in mid-air.
▷ adventurous /ədˈventʃ ə rəs/ [adjective]
someone who is adventurous enjoys going to new places and having new, possibly dangerous experiences :
▪ The higher slopes are for the more adventurous skier.
▪ She was naturally adventurous and loved the wild landscape of Colombia with all its beauty and danger.
▷ fearless /ˈfɪəʳləs/ [adjective]
not at all afraid of doing dangerous things, so that other people admire you :
▪ The Comanches were great and fearless warriors.
▪ Her fearless opposition to the military dictatorship has won admiration from around the world.
fearlessly [adverb]
▪ He dived fearlessly into the sea, ignoring the rocks below.
fearlessness [uncountable noun]
▪ It is essential that bullfighters give an impression of fearlessness.
▷ daredevil /ˈdeəʳdev ə l/ [countable noun]
someone who enjoys doing extremely dangerous things and taking a lot of risks :
▪ World famous daredevil Evel Knievel will attempt to cross the Grand Canyon on a rocket-powered motorcycle.
daredevil [adjective only before noun]
▪ Many consider Ormer Locklear to have been the greatest of all daredevil pilots.
3. not afraid to do something new and different
▷ daring /ˈde ə rɪŋ/ [adjective]
not afraid to do something new and unusual that many people will find shocking :
▪ When she was young, everybody thought my grandmother was terribly daring because she smoked.
▪ a daring new production of ‘Hamlet’
▷ adventurous /ədˈventʃ ə rəs/ [adjective]
someone who is adventurous enjoys trying new things or taking risks :
▪ I’m not very adventurous when it comes to trying new food.
▪ Le Corbusier was the most adventurous architect of modern times, always experimenting with new forms and structures.
▷ bold /bəʊld/ [adjective]
not afraid of taking risks, saying what you think and making difficult decisions :
▪ What we need is a strong leader, someone who is bold enough to make tough decisions.
▪ He was one of the boldest and most innovative composers of his day.
boldly [adverb]
▪ Overcoming her instinctive shyness, she boldly stepped forward to speak to the crowd.
4. the ability to behave bravely
▷ courage /ˈkʌrɪdʒǁˈkɜːr-/ [uncountable noun]
the ability to behave bravely when you are in danger, suffering illness, or pain, or when other people are opposing you :
▪ She showed great courage during her long illness.
▪ Nelson Mandela will be remembered for his courage and integrity in the struggle against apartheid.
take courage
need courage
▪ Driving again after his accident must have taken a lot of courage.
▷ bravery /ˈbreɪvəri/ [uncountable noun]
the ability to behave bravely in a dangerous situation, for example during a war :
▪ After the war, my uncle was awarded a medal for bravery.
▪ Gina surprised us all with her bravery and endurance.
▪ It was an act of the utmost bravery and disregard for personal safety.
▷ guts /gʌts/ [plural noun] informal
the ability and determination to do something difficult or dangerous that other people are afraid to do :
▪ I don’t think he can possibly win, but you’ve got to admire his guts.
have guts
▪ Whatever else you may say about Sally, she certainly has guts.
it takes guts to do something
you need guts to do something
▪ It took guts and determination to overcome such a severe handicap.
▷ nerve /nɜːʳv/ [uncountable noun]
the ability to remain calm and confident in a dangerous, difficult, or frightening situation :
▪ In a scary situation like that you need someone with plenty of nerve.
▪ After a three day siege the kidnapper’s nerve failed and he gave himself up to the police.
it takes a lot of nerve to do something
you need a lot of nerve to do something
▪ It takes a lot of nerve to report a colleague for sexual harassment.
5. to be brave enough to do something
▷ be brave enough to do something /biː ˌbreɪv ɪnʌf tə ˈduː something/ [verb phrase]
▪ None of the other people were brave enough to stand up to him.
▪ Maybe if you were brave enough to ask her out she’d go to a movie with you.
▪ Anyone brave enough to get this far would then find an electrified fence blocking their way.
▷ dare /deəʳ/ [intransitive verb not in progressive]
to be brave enough to do something that is dangerous or that you are afraid of doing -- used in questions, negatives, and sentences beginning with ‘if’ :
▪ My sister used to steal things from stores, but I would never dare.
not dare (to) do something
▪ No one dared to go into the old house at night.
▪ She was so high up now that she didn’t dare look down.
dare do something
▪ Dare we take this decision without consulting the Prime Minister?
▷ have the guts to do something /hæv ðə ˌgʌts tə ˈduː something/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be brave enough to do something unpleasant or difficult that other people are afraid to do spoken :
▪ I know he made a mistake, but at least he had the guts to admit it!
▪ Sarah’s the only one who has the guts to speak her mind.
▷ have the nerve to do something /hæv ðə ˌnɜːʳv tə ˈduː something/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be calm and confident enough to do something that is frightening or dangerous :
▪ Not many people have the nerve to stand up and speak in front of a large audience.
▪ I can’t believe he had the nerve to show up at the party after what he said about Janet.
▷ find/get up/pluck up the courage to do something /ˌfaɪnd, ˌget ʌp, ˌplʌk ʌp ðə ˌkʌrɪdʒ tə ˈduː something ǁ-ˌkɜːr-/ [verb phrase]
to force yourself to be brave and do something that you are afraid of doing, after thinking about it for a long time :
▪ I eventually plucked up the courage to tell my parents that I was going to go and live in Canada.
▪ David loves Julie but he can’t get up enough courage to ask her to marry him.
6. not brave
▷ cowardly /ˈkaʊəʳdli/ [adjective]
not brave :
▪ He was too cowardly to say what he meant.
▪ It was a cowardly attack on unarmed civilians.
▪ NATO today condemned the incident, calling it a senseless and cowardly act.
cowardice /ˈkaʊəʳdɪs, ˈkaʊəʳdəs/ [uncountable noun]
cowardly behaviour :
▪ The movie is a true account of the only American soldier to be shot for cowardice since the Civil War.
▷ coward /ˈkaʊəʳd/ [countable noun]
someone who is not brave enough to do something dangerous or unpleasant that they should do :
▪ He called me a coward, because I wouldn’t fight.
▪ Perhaps I should have turned back but I didn’t want to be known as a quitter and a coward.
be a coward about something
▪ She knew she was an awful coward about going to the dentist.
▷ spineless /ˈspaɪnləs/ [adjective]
someone who is spineless is too weak to say what they really think because they are afraid of what might happen or what other people might say -- use this to show disapproval :
▪ Don’t be spineless -- you have to stand up to people like that.
▪ The President has been accused of being spineless in the face of naked aggression.
▷ wimp /wɪmp/ [countable noun] informal
someone who is afraid to do something you want them to do or think they should do, so that you think they are annoying or do not respect them - often used humorously :
▪ Don’t be such a wimp, Simon. Tell her you want to break up.
▪ Because they don’t risk money, corporate financiers are considered wimps by traders.
7. to decide not to do something because you are too frightened
▷ lose your nerve /ˌluːz jɔːʳ ˈnɜːʳv/ [verb phrase]
to suddenly lose the confidence and calmness that you need in order to do something dangerous or frightening :
▪ Dan wanted to ask his boss for a day off but he lost his nerve at the last minute.
▪ I stood at the top of the ski-slope for a minute then lost my nerve.
▷ not dare /nɒt ˈdeəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to not be brave enough to do something because you are afraid of what might happen if you do it :
not dare do something
▪ The older boys used to bully me but I didn’t dare complain.
not dare to do something
▪ Billy stood on top of the rock, not daring to jump down.
not dare
▪ I wanted to ask Dad for the money but I didn’t dare.
▷ chicken out/wimp out /ˌtʃɪkɪn ˈaʊt, ˌtʃɪkən ˈaʊt, ˌwɪmp ˈaʊt/ [intransitive phrasal verb] spoken informal
to not be brave enough to do something that you intended to do or said you would do :
▪ I was supposed to make the introductory speech, but I chickened out at the last minute.
chicken/wimp out of doing something
▪ She chickened out of telling her father that she and David were going to live together.
▷ not have the guts /nɒt hæv ðə ˈgʌts/ [verb phrase not in progressive] spoken
to not be brave enough to do something that people think you should do :
▪ He wouldn’t have the guts to say that to me.
▪ I planned to ask my boss for a raise but in the end I didn’t have the guts.
not have the guts to do something
▪ Peg has done all the things I never had the guts to try.
be without/lack guts
▪ Joe’s a weak character, without guts or ambition.
▪ She’s intelligent enough, but she lacks guts.
▷ not have the nerve /nɒt hæv ðə ˈnɜːʳv/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to not be brave or confident enough to do something because you think it is too difficult, dangerous or embarrassing :
▪ I’d love to quit my job and go back to college but I don’t have the nerve.
not have the nerve to do something
▪ He doesn’t have the nerve to tell the boss what he really thinks of her.