bravado

noun bra·va·do \ brə-ˈvä-(ˌ)dō \

|Updated on: 9 Jul 2018

Examples: bravado in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of bravado

plural bravadoes or bravados

1 a : blustering swaggering conduct

youthful bravado

b : a pretense of bravery

2 : the quality or state of being foolhardy

See bravado defined for English-language learners

See bravado defined for kids

bravado was our Word of the Day on 03/26/2018. Hear the podcast!

Examples of bravado in a Sentence

His stories are always told with bravado.
I remember his youthful bravado.

Recent Examples of bravado from the Web

Sky announced the capture of Henry with a great deal of bravado in December 2014, claiming that 'the best team just got better' in a special TV advert featuring Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness.

— SI.com, "Thierry Henry Left Red-Faced as Employers Seek to Negotiate Pay Cut Following Poor Feedback," 24 May 2018
And the show does a nice job of contrasting the relentless enthusiasm of Miklos with the senior researcher on his vessel, Mike Perna, who plays a perfect straight man to the cowboy bravado of the show’s star.

— kathryn miles, Outside Online, "'Cooper's Treasure' and the Gray Area of Wreck Hunting," 21 June 2018
Similarly, Michigan State's Jackson arrives without the bravado of Deandre Ayton or the international flare of Luka Doncic, who well could be Thursday's first two selections.

— ira winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Heat search for greatness bypasses 2018 NBA draft seemingly lacking in it," 17 June 2018
Their court demeanor was a far cry from the bravado of the communications a forensic examination of Viner's iPhone found after the news of the death in Wichita.

— roxana hegemen, Cincinnati.com, "Local gamer pleads not guilty in 'swatting' death," 14 June 2018
Their court demeanor was a far cry from the bravado of the communications a forensic examination of Viner's iPhone found after the news of the death in Wichita.

— roxana hegeman, chicagotribune.com, "2 gamers plead not guilty in 'swatting' case that led police to shoot Kansas man," 13 June 2018
Andrew Stenson’s fervent, high-energy performance eloquently captured Danny’s bravado and despair; his vivid tenor managed to be both beautiful and full of raw feeling.

— heidi waleson, WSJ, "‘An American Soldier’ and ‘Regina’ Reviews: Prejudice and Power," 12 June 2018
That’s how Talley talks, with so much bravado and high-fashion deflection.

— elizabeth wellington, Philly.com, "Black fashion superhero André Leon Talley finally gets his due in new documentary," 6 June 2018
Woody Harrelson's Beckett, Solo's gunslinging father figure, helps explain where Han gets his devil-may-care bravado.

— darren orf, Popular Mechanics, "'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Is Good, But It Could've Been Great," 29 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bravado.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Bravado ultimately traces to the Old Italian adjective bravo, meaning "courageous" or "wild." Nowadays, the wildness once associated with bravado has been tamed to an overbearing boldness that comes from arrogance or a position of power. Celebrities, political or corporate giants, and the schoolyard bully may all show bravado (though they often turn out to be not so tough after all). Bravado is also used for show-offish, daring acts that seem reckless and inconsistent with good sense, but might, nonetheless, be applauded with shouts of Bravo! when successful. The spectacular feats of stuntmen come to mind, for example.