Origin: 1300-1400 Old French, present participle of valoir to be of worth, from Latin valere; ➔ VALOR
Thesaurus
THESAURUSdealing with danger, pain, or difficult situations confidently without becoming afraid or upset►brave
dealing with danger, pain, or difficult situations confidently without becoming afraid or upset: She has put up a brave fight against cancer. The statue was erected in memory of the brave soldiers who died in the war.
►courageous
very brave, especially when fighting for something you believe in: We need a courageous leader who will stand up for what is right.
►bold
confident and willing to take risks: Rebecca was a bold woman, willing to say what she thought.
►fearless
not afraid of anything or anyone: She is a fearless campaigner for human rights.
►adventurous
used about someone who enjoys going to new places and doing new, possibly dangerous, things: The hike to Machu Picchu will appeal to the adventurous traveler.
►daring
willing to do dangerous things, or showing this quality: The soldiers made a daring rescue of the hostages.
►heroic
extremely brave or determined, and admired by many people: The country will always be grateful to these heroic men and women.
►valiant
formal done in a very brave way, especially in a difficult situation: The firefighters made a valiant effort to rescue the people in the burning building.
►intrepid
formal willing to do dangerous things or go to dangerous places: Lewis and Clark were the intrepid explorers who first crossed the country to the Pacific coast.
very brave, especially in a difficult situation: valiant efforts to save the people in the building► see thesaurus at brave1