chivalrous

adjective

chiv·​al·​rous ˈshi-vəl-rəs 

1

: valiant

chivalrous warriors

2

: of, relating to, or characteristic of chivalry and knight-errantry

a chivalrous quest

3

a

: marked by honor, generosity, and courtesy

appreciated the chivalrous acts of the general

b

: marked by gracious courtesy and high-minded consideration especially to women

A chivalrous man offered the woman his seat on the crowded bus.

chivalrously adverb

chivalrousness noun

Synonyms

• big
• elevated
• gallant
• great
• greathearted
• high
• high-minded
• lofty
• lordly
• magnanimous
• natural
• noble
• sublime

Choose the Right Synonym for chivalrous

civil, polite, courteous, gallant, chivalrous mean observant of the forms required by good breeding.

civil often suggests little more than the avoidance of overt rudeness.

owed the questioner a civil reply

polite commonly implies polish of speech and manners and sometimes suggests an absence of cordiality.

if you can't be pleasant, at least be polite

courteous implies more actively considerate or dignified politeness.

clerks who were unfailingly courteous to customers

gallant and chivalrous imply courteous attentiveness especially to women.

gallant suggests spirited and dashing behavior and ornate expressions of courtesy.

a gallant suitor of the old school

chivalrous suggests high-minded and self-sacrificing behavior.

a chivalrous display of duty

Examples of chivalrous in a Sentence

a kind and chivalrous man

still engages in chivalrous behavior, such as holding doors for people

Recent Examples on the Web

Lily falls in love with the charismatic but questionable Ryle; sweet, chivalrous Atlas returns from her past. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 Aug. 2024

McCray’s chivalrous side came out on the first date. —Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 26 June 2024

Given his chivalrous nature, Garnett confined his combativeness during a midweek practice to an emphatic arm swing after beating Bruins center Lauren Betts with a move ending in a layup. —Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024

That chivalrous act created an unbreakable bond between the couple, even though something always seemed to be pulling them apart: work, relationships with other people, living in opposite locations on the map. —Taiia Smart Young, Essence, 14 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English chivalerous, chevalrous, chyvalrous "excelling in warfare, valiant, exemplifying the ideals of chivalry," borrowed from Anglo-French chevalerus, chevalrous (continental Old French chevalerous), from chevalerie "body of knights serving an overlord, chivalry" + -us, -ous -ous

Note: As noted by the Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, chivalrous was apparently obsolescent by the mid-eighteenth century; Samuel Johnson, in his dictionary (1755), has only a citation from Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene (1590) and remarks "a word now out of use." It was revived in the later eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by Romanticism and a renewed interest in the Middle Ages. The pronunciation of this word and chivalry with \sh\ rather than \ch\, as if they were taken from Modern French, presumably arose at that period.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

chivalrous

adjective

chiv·​al·​rous ˈshiv-əl-rəs 

1

: of or relating to chivalry

2

a

: having or showing honor, generosity, and courtesy

b

: showing special courtesy and regard to women

chivalrously adverb

chivalrousness noun