courageous

adjective

cou·​ra·​geous kə-ˈrā-jəs 

: having or characterized by courage : brave

a courageous soldier

a courageous decision

courageously adverb

courageousness noun

Synonyms

• bold
• brave
• dauntless
• doughty
• fearless
• gallant
• greathearted
• gutsy
• gutty
• heroic
• heroical
• intrepid
• lionhearted
• manful
• stalwart
• stout
• stouthearted
• undauntable
• undaunted
• valiant
• valorous

Examples of courageous in a Sentence

She was a courageous woman who wasn't afraid to support unpopular causes.

the courageous decision to quit rather than obey an illegal order

Recent Examples on the Web

On June 26, Mercury’s debut in Leo inspires us to be more expressive, confident and courageous in our exchanges. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 1 June 2025

Sebastian Carmona became the lead plaintiff and was joined by other courageous Salinas Valley farmworkers. —Ignacio Ornelas Rodriguez, Mercury News, 30 May 2025

Roberto Coin continues to build his brand through courageous artistic methods combined with empathetic values. —Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 23 May 2025

But in 2025, New Yorkers may have a historic chance to change the game by voting for open primaries — if the Charter Revision Commission puts forward their courageous recommendation to all voters this fall. —John Avlon, New York Daily News, 23 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English corageous, borrowed from Anglo-French corajus, from corage courage + -us, -ous -ous

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for courageous

• advantageous
• contagious
• outrageous
• disadvantageous

Kids Definition

courageous

adjective

cou·​ra·​geous kə-ˈrā-jəs 

: having or marked by courage : brave

courageously adverb

courageousness noun