bravo
bravo Lexical Profile
bravo Game Scores & Validity
• interjection
Used to express enthusiastic approval or applause, especially for a musical, theatrical, or artistic performance.
"Bravo! That was the finest piano recital I have heard all season."
• noun
A shout of 'bravo' or a cry of enthusiastic approval and applause.
"The soprano was greeted with loud bravos and a standing ovation as the curtain fell."
A code word representing the letter B in the NATO phonetic alphabet, used in radio and aviation communications.
"The pilot identified the taxiway as Bravo Three during his transmission to the control tower."
A daring bandit, hired assassin, ordesperado (primarily in historical Italian contexts).
"In the seventeenth-century novel, the corrupt nobleman employs a ruthless bravo to intimidate his rivals."
Word Nuance & Usage
In traditional opera and theater usage, 'bravo' is addressed to a male performer, 'brava' to a female performer, and 'bravi' to a group, though 'bravo' is widely used for all performers in everyday English.
• Rhymes for bravo
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from Italian 'bravo', meaning 'bold, wild, or courageous', originally applied in English to a hired ruffian before being adopted in the 18th century as an exclamation of applause.