brave
brave Lexical Profile
brave Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Ready to face and endure danger, pain, or difficulty; showing courage.
"The brave firefighters entered the smoke-filled building to rescue the trapped residents."
Making a fine, splendid, or impressive appearance (archaic or literary).
"Aldous Huxley's famous novel takes its title from a line in Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' praising a brave new world."
• verb
To endure or face unpleasant conditions, danger, or difficulty with courage.
"Hundreds of commuters braved the freezing rain and icy winds to get to work this morning."
• noun
A courageous person or group of people (typically used with 'the').
"The memorial was erected in honor of the brave who risked their lives for others."
North American A Native American warrior (dated and often offensive).
"Nineteenth-century frontier novels frequently depicted a young brave defending his tribe's territory."
Word Nuance & Usage
The noun sense referring to a Native American warrior is dated and often considered offensive or stereotypical in modern usage; use specific tribal names or 'warrior' instead.
• Rhymes for brave
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 15th century from Middle French 'brave', from Italian 'bravo' ('bold, wild, untamed'), likely derived from Vulgar Latin '*brabus', a variant of Latin 'barbarus' ('foreign, savage').