bra·vu·ra
brə-ˈvyu̇r-ə 
brä-,
-ˈvu̇r-
1
music
: a musical passage requiring exceptional agility and technical skill in execution
2
: a florid brilliant style
3
: a show of daring or brilliance
Synonyms
Examples of bravura in a Sentence
Adjective
a truly bravura performance of the ballet that brought the crowd to its feet
Recent Examples on the Web
Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 13 Sep. 2023
Grasp Rankin’s style in his bravura approach to vegetables.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2023
This is a showcase for bravura acting, with Ireland playing Rose as aggressive and stilted in her inability to connect with others, or even present a normal social interaction.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2023
My mother’s Apple Brown Betty was a bravura performance.
—Rita Dove, Bon Appétit, 8 Aug. 2023
At an idyllic resort in the wilds of Maine, sumptuous days on the lake turn into evenings filled with bravura performances.
—Lila Battis, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2023
We’re introduced to the lead characters in two bravura action sequences before the opening credits, which don’t appear until some 40 minutes into the film.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Nov. 2022
Graham is hilarious and heartbreaking as the ostensible antagonist, her outsize bravura punctured by a wrenching moment of true vulnerability.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2023
And with that bravura moment, Fair Play marks the spot: These pretty people will get raw.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 26 Jan. 2023
Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 28 June 2023
With all due respect to the bravura world-creation of Wakanda, what is likely Carter’s single most effective achievement is so simple and casual as to seem to have come straight from a uniform-supply warehouse.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 24 May 2023
But at least Bay gave the viewers plenty of nonpareil CGI carnage to chew on, as with a bravura third act that tears through Chicago skyscrapers like sand castles, bouncing from one colossal set piece to the next.
—Nick Allen, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2023
No matter how bravura the substance of his disquisitions, this act, predictably, grew tiresome.
—Justin Driver, The Atlantic, 12 Aug. 2022
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Noun
There is something slightly anachronistic about the rousing feminist themes here, but the film is great fun and the Toronto audience was wildly cheering at the end, which crescendoes with hilarious profanities hurled by both bravura actresses.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 13 Sep. 2023
Grasp Rankin’s style in his bravura approach to vegetables.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2023
This is a showcase for bravura acting, with Ireland playing Rose as aggressive and stilted in her inability to connect with others, or even present a normal social interaction.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2023
My mother’s Apple Brown Betty was a bravura performance.
—Rita Dove, Bon Appétit, 8 Aug. 2023
At an idyllic resort in the wilds of Maine, sumptuous days on the lake turn into evenings filled with bravura performances.
—Lila Battis, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2023
We’re introduced to the lead characters in two bravura action sequences before the opening credits, which don’t appear until some 40 minutes into the film.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Nov. 2022
Graham is hilarious and heartbreaking as the ostensible antagonist, her outsize bravura punctured by a wrenching moment of true vulnerability.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2023
And with that bravura moment, Fair Play marks the spot: These pretty people will get raw.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 26 Jan. 2023
Adjective
Its most bravura trick is rooted less in a display of mastery than one of vulnerability.
—Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 28 June 2023
With all due respect to the bravura world-creation of Wakanda, what is likely Carter’s single most effective achievement is so simple and casual as to seem to have come straight from a uniform-supply warehouse.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 24 May 2023
But at least Bay gave the viewers plenty of nonpareil CGI carnage to chew on, as with a bravura third act that tears through Chicago skyscrapers like sand castles, bouncing from one colossal set piece to the next.
—Nick Allen, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2023
No matter how bravura the substance of his disquisitions, this act, predictably, grew tiresome.
—Justin Driver, The Atlantic, 12 Aug. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bravura.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Italian, literally, bravery, from bravare to show off — more at bravado
Adjective
adjective derivative of bravura entry 1
Dictionary Entries Near bravura
Cite this Entry
“Bravura.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bravura. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.
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