1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

bravery

noun

ˈbrāv-rē How to pronounce bravery (audio)
Definition of braverynext
1
as in attire
dressy clothing children in their Sunday bravery

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in courage
strength of mind to carry on in spite of danger it took great bravery to rescue the baby trapped in the burning building

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bravery Others — unable to recognize him as advancing the baton passed on by the athlete-activists now commonly praised for their bravery — viewed Kaepernick with disgust. — Mike Jones, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026 Derek Hough said he was reminded of his past partnership with Paralympian Amy Purdy, and praised Frech's frame and bravery. — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026 Wein’s husband, Gerry, appeared in the ESPN feature to share his wife’s recollection of Crowther’s bravery. — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2026 One resident, named Ann, spoke about the bravery on display that day. — Renee Anderson, CBS News, 11 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bravery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bravery
  1. attire
  2. courage
  3. finery
  4. heroism
  5. costume
  6. gallantry
  7. best
  8. courageousness
Noun
  • However, his raging protectiveness over what might be lost — language, attire, ritual, even memory — grows more pronounced as Rio veers further into phantasmagoria by way of dreams and visions.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Ornate crystal fixtures illuminated the grand ballroom as dancers in Prohibition-era attire twirled to the music.
    — Michelle Polizzi, Southern Living, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of attire
Noun
  • For DeSorbo, however, opening up about her experience didn’t initially feel like an act of courage.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
  • But when catastrophe leaves them fighting for survival, they are propelled into an impossible race against time that will test the limits of courage, sacrifice and love.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of courage
Noun
  • Obviously the bride and bridesmaids will wear wedding finery.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Over the course of several hours, a kaleidoscopic array of appetizers, mains and desserts were paraded out for the hundreds of guests wearing their Sunday finery.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of finery
Noun
  • And, for Arnold Roma, in the fight to keep Keith’s heroism alive.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Today, Crowther's story of heroism is told to children across the country to help teach them about the terror attacks.
    — Miles J. Herszenhorn, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of heroism
Noun
  • In the trailer, the actor is almost unrecognizable in prosthetics and costume.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Salort-Pons’s X-ray analysis showed that this costume was the one Velázquez had originally depicted Olivares wearing.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of costume
Noun
  • In World Cup lore, however, his gallantry is doomed to be overshadowed by that of his fellow-goalkeeper from Cabo Verde, Vozinha, who had already produced an uncanny impersonation of a brick wall on the fourth day of the tournament.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • In all of these cases, the effect is largely the same—forging intimacy through some level of generosity or gallantry, coupled with pure, physical proximity—and in 2026, all of them are still technically possible.
    — Sara Delgado, Vogue, 9 July 2026
Definition of gallantry
Noun
  • Benton had career bests in tackles (51), tackles for loss (6) and sacks (5 1/2) while helping the Steelers to the AFC North title.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • With the three-row Kia Sorento, the Hyundai Palisade retains the South Korean brands’ 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty, both segment and industry bests.
    — James Raia, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of best
Noun
  • That mix of stubbornness and courageousness is what endeared Snider to fans and peers alike.
    — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 15 Nov. 2025
Definition of courageousness

Browse Nearby Words

bravely
bravery
braves
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bravery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bravery. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All