brave

brave — adjective

1. ready to face danger, pain, or trouble without giving in to fear.

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

ready to face danger, pain, or trouble without giving in to fear.

Example

Aiko stayed brave while the doctor cleaned the deep cut.

It was brave of Omar to stop the bus and help.

it is brave of + person + to-infinitive

Common collocations
  • brave decision
  • brave attempt
  • brave smile
  • brave enough to
Synonyms
  • courageous

    more formal and often used for serious moral or physical risk

  • fearless

    stronger; suggests very little fear at all

  • bold

    can overlap in risky situations, but may also suggest confidence rather than courage

Antonyms
  • afraid

    feeling fear in the situation

  • timid

    less willing to act because of fear or shyness

Grammar Patterns

be brave to + verb

be brave enough to + verb

Usage Note

Often describes a person, action, or choice in a situation with real danger, pain, or strong fear. Distinguish from verb/1 FACE RISK, which names the act of going through the danger itself.

Common Mistakes

Mira is brave of spiders.
Mira is not afraid of spiders.
'brave' does not use 'of' before the thing that causes fear.
Idioms

(a) brave new world

idiom

a new way of living that seems exciting and modern, but may also create fresh problems.

Students entered the brave new world of online classes during the strike.

Robot buses opened a brave new world of travel for the town.

brave — verb

brave — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Brave is the everyday word for facing fear, pain, or danger. Courageous is more formal and often fits serious moral or physical risk. Fearless is stronger than brave and suggests little or no fear, so it can sound dramatic. Bold can overlap when someone takes a risky step, but it may also suggest confidence or even rudeness, not just courage. Daring focuses on unusual or adventurous action, especially when a person chooses risk on purpose. A child can be brave during an injection, while a reporter may be courageous for publishing the truth. A climber may be daring, but a witness in court is usually brave or courageous.

brave ↗courageous ↗fearless ↗bold ↗daring ↗

Etymology

LatinItalianMiddle FrenchEnglish

The adjective came into English through Middle French from Italian bravo. The verb developed from the adjective in French, and the noun later grew from the same word family in English. Some older histories connect the family more deeply with Latin barbarus, though that link is not fully certain.