bravado
noun
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
Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2025
The album’s emotional palette fluidly shifts between defiant bravado and glum recognition that the big dream was more than likely to crash and burn.
—Jesse Adams, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
There is irony that, after all of the bravado this offseason, the Broncos need cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian to deliver his best game.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Sep. 2025
However, underneath that public bravado there is some truth in the fact that Britain has also characterized the visit that way, with the specific intention of appealing to Trump's ego in the hope of securing a better trade deal.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bravado
Cite this Entry
“Bravado.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bravado. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bravado
noun
Share