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

Knockouts The drama continued in the knockouts, where both debutantes put up valiant displays. —Neel Shelat, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024

Pablo Carrillo is neither the valiant hero of Josie’s memories who saved the baby from the runaway horse nor a diabolical mustache-twirling, child-trafficking villain Cruz could easily paint him out to be. —Andy Andersen, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2024

In Browning’s telling, the messenger’s valiant run and dying words take on a poignancy that inspired readers, among them the inventors of the modern Olympic Games. —Miriam Kamil, JSTOR Daily, 20 Nov. 2024

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