as in valiant
feeling or displaying no fear by temperament
he made the manful decision to stick by his friends when everyone else had abandoned them
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Recent Examples of manful
Intermittent fasting was of a piece with an interest in manful self-improvement via stoicism.
—
Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2024
Camping with a rogue dynamiter, Siringo stuck elk horns into two neighboring peaks and claimed to have named the mountains in honor of their manful bond.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023
The other deputies smiled, ready to toast the capital with manful drafts of vodka.
—Alex Halberstadt, Town & Country, 9 Oct. 2015
Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2024
Camping with a rogue dynamiter, Siringo stuck elk horns into two neighboring peaks and claimed to have named the mountains in honor of their manful bond.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023
The other deputies smiled, ready to toast the capital with manful drafts of vodka.
—Alex Halberstadt, Town & Country, 9 Oct. 2015
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manful
Adjective
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Keegan Bradley captained last year's team at Bethpage Black, which had an embarrassing first two days but gave a valiant effort at an unprecedented comeback in Sunday singles.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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That Niall finds Ruben so alluring is natural to Gadd, who believes the notion of a valiant male figure has been bred into everyone via fables and fairy tales.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Today, Mr Speaker, that same, unyielding resolve is needed for the defence of Ukraine and her most courageous people – it is needed in order to secure a truly just and lasting peace.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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Claire has been an advocate for courageous stories, an expert at complicated logistics and a wonderful partner to teams across the entire news division.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Emery had been incessant in wanting shorter, faster balls from his deeper players, with Villa’s best opportunity of the afternoon stemming from brave passing in combination in the first half, coaxing Fulham onto them before John McGinn whipped a ball into the space behind.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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The other new standout debuting on MSC World America is the Cliffhanger ($5), a huge swing that hangs over the side of the ship—the screams of brave riders prove the thrill is legit.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The Union didn’t account for the heroic efforts of Gavran, though, who charged forward for a free kick and wound up in prime position to get his head – and his shoulder – to Alonso Coello’s cross in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time.—
Avi Creditor,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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Songs here that start off surprisingly bracing resolve into big, sleek choruses, the work of firm believers in the power of heroic, high-protein mainstream alt-rock as a salve against encroaching darkness.—
Jon Dolan,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But the Ballances were more than gallant warriors – in fact, a life-size oil painting of Marti’s great-grandfather Charles Ballance’s wife and children – including her grandfather Willis as a 3-year-old – hangs in a place of honor at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
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And Texas made a gallant comeback to tie the game at 77-77 when Pope coolly sank three consecutive free throws after getting fouled behind the arc with 3.8 seconds remaining.—
Kirk Bohls,
Houston Chronicle,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Rutina Wesley recurs as Desiree Grant, a no-nonsense entertainment journalist known for her fearless approach and exposing problematic high-profile figures.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
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His fearless explorations provided context that brought relevance, intimacy and urgency to our relationship with music.—
Rachel DeSantis,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Manful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manful. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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