I. ˈbrāv adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle French, from Old Italian & Old Spanish bravo courageous, wild; Old Italian bravo probably from Old Provençal brau wild, from Latin barbarus barbarous; Old Spanish bravo from Latin barbarus — more at barbarous
1.
a. : resolute in facing odds : able to meet danger or endure pain or hardship without giving in to fear
a brave and respected man
b. : of, arising from, or suggestive of mastery of fear and intelligent use of faculties especially under duress
a brave defense
a brave gesture
2. : making a fine show or display : bright , colorful
girls decked out in brave new dresses
brave banners flying over the circus grounds
3. : excellent , splendid
the business folded up despite its brave start
Synonyms:
courageous , unafraid , fearless , intrepid , valiant , valorous , dauntless , undaunted , doughty , bold , audacious : brave often indicates lack of fear in alarming or difficult circumstances
the brave soldier goes to meet Death, and meets him without a shudder — Anthony Trollope
he would send an explosion ship into the harbor … a brave crew would take her in at night, right up against the city, would light the fuses, and try to escape — C.S.Forester
courageous implies stout-hearted resolution in contemplating or facing danger
I am afraid … because I do not wish to die. But my spirit masters the trembling flesh and the qualms of the mind. I am more than brave. I am courageous — Jack London
a man is courageous when he does things which others might fail to do owing to fear — Bertrand Russell
unafraid simply indicates lack of fright or fear
enjoy their homes unafraid of violent intrusion — Douglas MacArthur
a young, daring, and creative people — a people unafraid of change — Archibald MacLeish
fearless may indicate lack of fear, or it may be more positive and suggest resolution
joyous we too launch out on trackless seas fearless for unknown shores — Walt Whitman
he gives always the impression of fearless sincerity … one always feels that he is ready to say bluntly what every one else is afraid to say — T.S.Eliot
intrepid suggests either daring in meeting danger or fortitude in enduring it
with the intrepid woman who was his wife, and a few natives, he landed there, and set about building a house and clearing the scrub — W.S.Maugham
the intrepid guardians of the place, hourly exposed to death, with famine worn, and suffering under many a perilous wound — William Wordsworth
valiant suggests resolute courage and fortitude
this valiant, steadfast people [of Yugoslavia], whose history for centuries has been a struggle for life — Sir Winston Churchill
valorous suggests illustrious bravery and sometimes has an archaic or romantic ring
the regiment itself is a proud one, with a valorous record — Infantry Journal
dauntless emphasizes determination, resolution, and fearlessness despite danger or difficulty
the dauntless English infantry were receiving and repelling the furious charges — W.M.Thackeray
nothing appalled her dauntless soul — William Beckford
undaunted indicates continued courage and resolution after danger, hardship, or defeat
he watched them at the points of greatest danger falling under the shots from the scorpions, and others stepping undaunted into their places to fall in the same way — J.A.Froude
doughty combines the implications of formidable, sturdy, and brave , but may have an archaic or humorous suggestion
when Fisk reached the head of the stairs leading to the board room, the doughty president of the endangered railway knocked him down to the ground floor — C.A. & Mary Beard
so doughty a warrior must break a lance — V.L.Parrington
bold may indicate a forward or defiant tendency to thrust oneself into difficult or dangerous situations
it was a bold man who dared to walk alone through hundreds of miles of lion-infested country with nothing but a spear in his hand to seek work and adventure — Stuart Cloete
these fellows who attacked the inn tonight — bold, desperate blades, for sure — R.L.Stevenson
he knew a fool and a tyrant in high places, and was bold to call them by their true names — V.L.Parrington
audacious implies spirited and sometimes reckless daring
the place where the fiery Ethan Allen first sketched his audacious move against Ticonderoga — Budd Schulberg
hitherto no liberal statesman has been so audacious as to … lay profane hands on the divine right of nations to seek their own advantage at the cost of the rest — Thorstein Veblen
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: probably from Middle French braver, from Old Italian bravare — more at bravado
transitive verb
1.
a. archaic : challenge , defy
b. : to face (something involving possible unfortunate or disastrous consequences) or endure (as hardship) usually with self-control and mastery of fear and often with a particular objective in view
men of the merchant marine who braved enemy torpedoes — H.S.Truman
women who … for his sake had braved all social censure — Oscar Wilde
2. obsolete : to make showy : adorn
intransitive verb
archaic : to make a brave show : swagger , bluff , boast
Synonyms: see face
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: brave (I)
1. archaic : bravado , defiance , challenge
2. : one who is brave : warrior
none but the brave deserves the fair — John Dryden
specifically : a No. American Indian warrior
3. archaic : bully , assassin