valorous

adjective

val·​or·​ous ˈva-lə-rəs 

: valiant

valorously adverb

Did you know?

The English language has no shortage of synonyms for brave. In fact, it even has two different such words from the same Latin verb, valēre ("to have strength"): valiant and valorous. Valiant is the older of the pair, borrowed from the Anglo-French adjective vaillant ("worthy, strong courageous") in the 1300s. Valorous followed in the 1400s, a combination of valor ("strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness")—another valēre descendent—and the adjective suffix -ous. (The form was inspired either by the Middle French word valeureux or the Medieval Latin word valōrōsus.) While the words can be used synonymously, valorous sometimes has an archaic or romantic ring, describing stout-hearted warriors of yore, while the more common word valiant describes soldiers as well as general kinds of bravery or effort.

Synonyms

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

Examples of valorous in a Sentence

valorous deeds that will be long remembered

Recent Examples on the Web

The season’s first episode and its later depiction of the Fall of Reach — a major moment in the game series — really captured the harrowing yet valorous essence of the Halo games despite not strictly following the game’s canon. —Jay Peters, The Verge, 19 July 2024

Russian claims to Crimea draw from a deep well of historical mythologies that enshrine the region within narratives of religious identity, valorous militarism, and Soviet nostalgia. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 23 Feb. 2024

The Republican refusal to support the valorous resistance of Ukraine in their fight against the sudden sneak attack without provocation by Russia’s imperial new Stalin, Vladimir Putin, leaves me simply incredulous. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2024

It was upgraded to the Medal of Honor decades later following a policy change that lifted a requirement that such awards be made within five years of valorous acts. —CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

valor + -ous, after Middle French valeureux or Medieval Latin valōrōsus

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

valorous

adjective

val·​or·​ous ˈval-ə-rəs 

: having or showing valor : brave