Brave and stubbornly capable in the face of difficulty.
Reach for it when giving old-fashioned, affectionate praise to an unlikely but persistent fighter
A doughty band of residents kept the hillside railway operating through winter.
| playful | |
|---|---|
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
|
playful
Fits when willingness to attempt a challenge is enough
Careful Being game shows willingness, not proven endurance.
playful
Fits when an underdog's cheerful courage is central
Careful Plucky can sound patronizing toward serious sacrifice.
professional
Fits when persistence toward a goal matters more than danger
Careful Tenacity can be unwelcome or morally neutral, while doughty is approvingly brave.
formal
Fits when hazardous action or exploration is explicit
Careful Intrepid loses the affectionate sense of a sturdy underdog.
literary
stouthearted
Fits when firm courage suits traditional storytelling
Careful The rare compound may distract outside a historical voice.
literary
Fits when noble courage deserves ceremonial praise
Careful Valiant is grander and lacks doughty's sturdy, slightly old-fashioned character.
doughty fighter
The doughty fighter returned to defend the community title at fifty.
doughty band
A doughty band of volunteers cleared the flooded footpath.
doughty campaigner
The doughty campaigner answered every rejection with better evidence.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: I learned some phrases, British accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated
Your browser isn't saving lists, so this one will be cleared when you leave the page.