bravado

noun

bra·va·do brə-ˈvä-(ˌ)dō

plural bravadoes or bravados

Synonyms of bravado next

: blustering swaggering conduct

youthful bravado

: a pretense of bravery

: the quality or state of being foolhardy

Did you know?

Displays of bravado may be show-offish, daring, reckless, and inconsistent with good sense—take, for example, the spectacular feats of stuntpeople—but when successful they are still likely to be met with shouts of "bravo!" Celebrities, political leaders, corporate giants, and schoolyard bullies, however, may show a different flavor of bravado: one that suggests an overbearing boldness that comes from arrogance or a position of power. The word bravado originally comes from the Old Italian adjective bravo, meaning "wild" or "courageous," which English has also to thank for the more ubiquitous brave.

Examples of bravado in a Sentence

His stories are always told with bravado. I remember his youthful bravado.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Both Tommy and the Ghoul are no-BS cowboys who radiate a blend of cocksure bravado and Southern charm. —

Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 9 Dec. 2024 But the worsening economic reality on the ground stands in stark contrast to that bravado. —

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, 8 Dec. 2024 In those early months, Jeselnik says, the cocky bravado that eventually became his trademark was the result of nerves. —

Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024 But then life did what life does, and all that youthful bravado leaked out through the lines in his face like steam through fissures in geothermal rock. —

Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bravado