Informal courage to face danger, difficulty, embarrassment, or responsibility.
Reach for it when praising nerve in candid speech without treating risk as automatically admirable
It took guts to admit the error in front of the whole team.
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| everyday | |
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| formal | |
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playful
intestinal fortitude
Fits when comic formality is deliberately part of the voice
Careful The phrase is long, joking, and inappropriate for serious danger.
playful
Fits when bold action under pressure is the visible quality
Careful Nerve can imply audacity or entitlement rather than moral courage.
everyday
Fits when the virtue should sound respectful and broadly applicable
Careful Courage is more dignified and lacks the raw informality of guts.
warm
Fits when facing fear or danger deserves clear praise
Careful Bravery is stronger for hazards but less natural for admitting an awkward mistake.
formal
Fits when endurance through sustained suffering is central
Careful Fortitude is solemn and poorly suited to one quick bold decision.
literary
Fits when firm principles resist pressure
Careful Backbone suggests steadfastness and can become praise for stubbornness.
take guts
It takes guts to stop a project after your own forecast proves wrong.
show real guts
She showed real guts by protecting the junior worker who raised the alarm.
have the guts
To have the guts to ask for help is its own kind of courage.
Keep in mind
Guts is informal and sometimes anatomical or crude. It should praise worthwhile courage, not needless risk-taking.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Back ache, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated
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