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

• brave
• courageous
• gallant
• heroic
• fearless
• heroical

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

His boundless pride in America and his valiant belief in free speech will leave a lasting impact. —Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2025

His boundless pride in America and his valiant belief in free speech will leave a lasting impact. —Amanda Castro gabe Whisnant anna Commander toby Meyjes shane Croucher john Feng joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025

Call it a valiant, optimistic, perhaps even a calamitous misreading. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025

In addition to implementing many voluntary changes, and even after a valiant legal fight and court victory, Harvard may still make a deal to get Trump off its back. —Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025

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