valiant

1 of 2

adjective

val·​iant ˈval-yənt 

1

: possessing or acting with bravery or boldness : courageous

valiant soldiers

2

: marked by, exhibiting, or carried out with courage or determination : heroic

valiant feats

valiantly adverb

valiantness noun

valiant

2 of 2

noun

: a valiant person

Synonyms

Adjective

• bold
• brave
• courageous
• dauntless
• doughty
• fearless
• gallant
• greathearted
• gutsy
• gutty
• heroic
• heroical
• intrepid
• lionhearted
• manful
• stalwart
• stout
• stouthearted
• undauntable
• undaunted
• valorous

Examples of valiant in a Sentence

Adjective

She died last year after a valiant battle with cancer.

Despite their valiant efforts, they lost the game.

She made a valiant attempt to fix the problem.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Witness her valiant efforts when the series premieres on November 17. —Zoe Guy, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2024

The Dodgers played it smartly, if weirdly, on a night when the Yankees’ valiant effort could be summed up in two words. —Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024

The Ukrainians keep disproving the lie, in their valiant effort to save themselves. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 28 Oct. 2024

To his credit, Griffin rewarded them with an All-NBA season in 2018-19, but even his most valiant efforts couldn’t save the Pistons from getting swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs that year. —Mat Issa, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English vailant, valiant, borrowed from Anglo-French vaillant "worthy, strong, courageous," from present participle of valer "to be of worth," going back to Latin valēre "to have strength, be well" — more at wield

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1589, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

valiant

1 of 2 adjective

val·​iant ˈval-yənt 

1

: boldly brave

2

: done with courage : heroic

valiantly adverb

valiant

2 of 2 noun

: a valiant person