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
Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025
In March 1778, after Marquis de Lafayette abandoned an impossible winter expedition to Canada, Washington praised caution over juvenile bravado.
—Maurizio Valsania, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025
In contrast to any expectations of bravado his work might engender, his demeanor was courteous, understated, his conversation as sharp and perceptive as his art.
—Edna Bonhomme, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
Sky will be hoping to bottle some of that bravado when the limited series, based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Nick Cave, premieres on November 20.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 1 Oct. 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 8 Oct. 2025.
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bravado
noun
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