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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Journey with Marie and her valiant Nutcracker prince to the Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy to experience a classic story with distinctly local flair.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
21 Oct. 2025
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Despite the valiant efforts, catch-up hockey does not become them.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In her latest book, Strong Ground, Brown makes a compelling case that we’re not wired for this level of uncertainty, and risk losing focus on the core values of courageous and sustainable leadership.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
14 Oct. 2025
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This was a fearless and courageous person.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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For me, it’s been really essential to read a lot of great information, and to come at the world filled with knowledge and all these ideas of, in my view, much smarter and braver people than myself.—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
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For those brave scientists who study snakes–aka herpetologists–the mechanics behind the reptiles’ fast fangs are more fascinating than fear-inducing.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The heroic young girl Korero is descended from Aoteora (New Zealand) refugees, who are living on a sparse island that doesn’t draw attention from invaders.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
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After that heroic moment, a fellow Blue Jays legend had one word to describe Springer’s performance.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And yet, welcoming that idea can shock the system because our popular conception of the American Revolution is so often encased in bloodless, gallant myth.—
Sarah Botstein,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2025
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The experience of secession, of war, of industrial slaughter and gallant sacrifice, of Black soldiery and humanity all reforged Lincoln into a stronger alloy.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Loving father, fearless adventurer Chefitz and his wife came to Miami in 1974 for a job at Florida International University for Walli.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
25 Oct. 2025
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Incredibly principled and fearless.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Manful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manful. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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