Brave
What it means
Able to face fear, pain, or difficulty without surrendering what matters.
Reach for it when praising courage when the challenge or fear is real
It was brave of Luis to name the error before anyone else discovered it.
Words to choose between 8
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
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playful
Fits when risk-taking feels adventurous or thrilling
Careful Daring is a poor choice for endurance through illness or grief.
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everyday
Fits when confident action or an unconventional choice is central
Careful Bold does not prove that fear, pain, or moral pressure was overcome.
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everyday
Fits when apparent absence of fear is genuinely the point
Careful Bravery often includes fear, so fearless can erase the struggle being praised.
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professional
Fits when the praise should sound deliberate and dignified
Careful Courageous can feel formal in a personal card to a frightened child.
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formal
Fits when courage includes exceptional sacrifice for others
Careful A private act of honesty can be brave without rising to heroism.
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literary
Fits when courage is noble, spirited, and perhaps self-sacrificing
Careful Modern readers may hear old-fashioned courtesy rather than straightforward bravery.
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literary
stouthearted
Fits when resolute courage should have an old-fashioned warmth
Careful Avoid it in a resume or plain professional recommendation.
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literary
Fits when sustained courage in a serious struggle deserves honor
Careful It sounds grandiose for speaking up in an ordinary meeting.
Opposites 3
- cowardly
- fearful
- timid
Common phrases 3
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brave choice
Her brave choice protected the junior employee from unfair blame.
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brave face
He put on a brave face until the children were safely home.
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brave enough
Mina was brave enough to ask the question everyone else avoided.
Word family 1
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated