valiant

1 of 2

adjective

val·​iant ˈval-yənt 

1

: possessing or acting with bravery or boldness : courageous

valiant soldiers

2

: marked by, exhibiting, or carried out with courage or determination : heroic

valiant feats

valiantly adverb

valiantness noun

valiant

2 of 2

noun

: a valiant person

Synonyms of valiant

Adjective

• brave
• courageous
• gallant
• heroic
• fearless

Examples of valiant in a Sentence

Adjective

She died last year after a valiant battle with cancer.

Despite their valiant efforts, they lost the game.

She made a valiant attempt to fix the problem.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Frizz, on the other hand… Letting hair air-dry has been proven to help promote hair health and growth, which seems to be a valiant goal. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2026

There was a valiant comeback effort, if that matters. —Andy McCullough, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026

Hundreds of firefighters worked to extinguish a massive fire that broke out at a warehouse near Miami Gardens in northwest Miami-Dade on Thursday, but officials fear that the blaze could smolder for days despite their valiant efforts to put it out. —Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026

There was a strong suspicion that the deployment of Meredith and his two valiant soldiers was more of a low-cost publicity stunt than a serious attempt to cull the emu population. —Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 25 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English vailant, valiant, borrowed from Anglo-French vaillant "worthy, strong, courageous," from present participle of valer "to be of worth," going back to Latin valēre "to have strength, be well" — more at wield

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

valiant

1 of 2 adjective

val·​iant ˈval-yənt 

1

: boldly brave

2

: done with courage : heroic

valiantly adverb

valiant

2 of 2 noun

: a valiant person