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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With Steph Curry in street clothes for the second consecutive game while dealing with runner’s knee, the 11-man Golden State put up a valiant effort that resulted in a come-from-behind 101-97 win.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
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An eight-point halftime lead completely vanished, and after a valiant comeback effort, SMU point guard Boopie Miller’s game-winning shot was blocked at the buzzer.—
Lia Assimakopoulos,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This has been a long runway and the mystery around Amelia Earhart’s courageous iconic life endures.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
4 Feb. 2026
-
What a courageous and heartwarming demonstration to remind us of our humanity.—
Ticked Off,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Today at Orlando Family Stage, the mission is to empower young people to be brave and empathetic.—
Julie Ruth Owen,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
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Aquarius' 2026 love horoscope Be brave enough to lead with your heart, not just your mind.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Every screening kicked off with a video tribute to him, and each replay drove home the sheer heroic improbability of what Redford had accomplished.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Well up for the fight in front of their boisterous fans at the Estadio da Luz, however, Benfica went ahead 3-1 before half time and secured a heroic 4-2 win, plus qualification to the knockout phase playoff on goal difference, thanks to goalkeeper Anatoli Trubin’s 98th minute header.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Tilt and the gallant escort was replaced by a boy too traumatized to leave his mother’s side.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Jan. 2026
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While Son of Hitler takes plenty of creative liberty when the titular character is recruited to assassinate his famous father for the Allies, the fate of the real-life Loret isn’t so gallant.—
Rosemary Counter,
Vanity Fair,
19 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The Frontier is a nonprofit newsroom that produces fearless journalism with impact in Oklahoma.—
Ari Fife,
The Frontier,
31 Jan. 2026
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The thrill of seeing a fearless, indefatigable performer single-handedly populate the stage with the myriad figures of this masterwork never lets up.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Manful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manful. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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