bravado

noun

bra·va·do brə-ˈvä-(ˌ)dō

plural bravadoes or bravados

Synonyms of bravado next

: blustering swaggering conduct

youthful bravado

: a pretense of bravery

: the quality or state of being foolhardy

Did you know?

Displays of bravado may be show-offish, daring, reckless, and inconsistent with good sense—take, for example, the spectacular feats of stuntpeople—but when successful they are still likely to be met with shouts of "bravo!" Celebrities, political leaders, corporate giants, and schoolyard bullies, however, may show a different flavor of bravado: one that suggests an overbearing boldness that comes from arrogance or a position of power. The word bravado originally comes from the Old Italian adjective bravo, meaning "wild" or "courageous," which English has also to thank for the more ubiquitous brave.

Examples of bravado in a Sentence

His stories are always told with bravado. I remember his youthful bravado.

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

All will display the bravado of a president reaching for maximum solo power. —

Calvin Woodward, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025 The Broncos need an Isiah Pacheco of their own if Payton’s champagne wishes and Penner’s caviar dreams are to become more than winter bravado after the party’s over. —

Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2025 Trump's norm-shattering comments about his imperialist ambitions were at first widely perceived as a fantastical display of bravado, providing fodder for internet memes and late-night talk shows. —

Cat Zakrzewski and Mariana Alfaro The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 13 Jan. 2025 But here’s hoping this false sense of bravado doesn’t come back to haunt him. —

Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for bravado