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 a position of power. The word bravado originally comes from the Old Italian adjective bravo, meaning "wild" or "courageous," which English has also to thank for the more ubiquitous brave.
Examples of bravado in a Sentence
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 24 June 2025
Almost as if in revolt against the global financial environment, the cultural zeitgeist is demanding some unapologetic bravado.
—Naomi Rougeau, Robb Report, 22 June 2025
McDermott’s game and bravado soon carried him to victory at the Philadelphia Open.
—Tim Corlett, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
Trump's version of power, however, is modeled on a shallow and superficial grasp of the bar takeover in Goodfellas—all chest-puffing bravado, but without the discipline, foresight, or grasp of power dynamics that true grand strategy requires.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bravado
Cite this Entry
“Bravado.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bravado. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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bravado
noun
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