bravado

C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary

US /brəˈvɑdoʊ/ UK /brəˈvɑːdəʊ/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a bold show of confidence, often to conceal fear

His bravado faded the moment the crowd fell silent.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a bold show of confidence,... swagger bluster boldnessmachismobravuracockiness

Opposites

cowardice timidity meekness humility

Word family

Related forms brave bravery bravo

Etymology

From Spanish bravada (later bravata) and Italian bravata ('bravado, boasting'), from bravare ('to brag'), from bravo ('brave, bold'), ultimately of disputed origin (perhaps from Latin barbarus or pravus).

bravata Italian bravo Italian

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# bravado

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /brəˈvɑdoʊ/
**IPA (UK):** /brəˈvɑːdəʊ/

## Meanings
1. a bold show of confidence, often to conceal fear

## Examples
- His bravado faded the moment the crowd fell silent.

## Synonyms
- swagger
- bluster
- boldness
- machismo
- bravura
- cockiness

## Antonyms
- cowardice
- timidity
- meekness
- humility

## Related Forms
- brave
- bravery
- bravo

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: bravata
- Root: bravo

## Etymology
From Spanish bravada (later bravata) and Italian bravata ('bravado, boasting'), from bravare ('to brag'), from bravo ('brave, bold'), ultimately of disputed origin (perhaps from Latin barbarus or pravus).

## AI Etymology
Bravado is a noun meaning "a bold show of confidence, often to conceal fear". Historically, it is from Spanish bravada (later bravata) and Italian bravata ('bravado, boasting'), from bravare ('to brag'), from bravo ('brave, bold'), ultimately of disputed origin (perhaps from Latin barbarus or pravus). The older history should therefore be treated cautiously rather than as settled. The semantic history matters here: the earlier use is the starting point, and the modern sense, "a bold show of confidence, often to conceal fear", is the later or specialized English value. The historical chain links Italian bravata with Italian bravo. Close English family members include brave, bravery, and bravo.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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