bravado
noun
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Displays of bravado may be show-offish, daring, reckless, and inconsistent with good sense—take, for example, the spectacular feats of stuntpeople—but when successful, they are still likely to be met with shouts of "bravo!" Celebrities, political leaders, corporate giants, and schoolyard bullies, however, may show a different flavor of bravado: one that suggests an overbearing boldness that comes from arrogance or from being in a position of power. The word bravado originally comes from the Italian adjective bravo, meaning "wild" or "courageous," which English can also thank for the more common brave.
Examples of bravado in a Sentence
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 6 Mar. 2026
Their voices carry a tone of bravado and voyeurism in their pursuits for close proximity.
—Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
But that bravado can only last so long.
—Brody Miller, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
With his athleticism and his bravado—his programs featured the world’s only quad axel and the only backflip, which always elicited a roar from the crowd despite earning him no points—Malinin looked poised not only to win but also to bring men’s figure skating into the mainstream.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bravado
Cite this Entry
“Bravado.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bravado. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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bravado
noun
