Brave
Hi guys. Please accept my apology for my long absence. I’ve been working. One of my last interviews was with Doug Brinkley about Hunter for the Gonzo Way. He ended it with a word I haven’t heard in a while: Brave
So, I thought I’d post the definition so that we can have it in our consciousness:
brave
adj 1: possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching; "Familiarity with danger makes a brave man braver but less daring"- Herman Melville; "a frank courageous heart…triumphed over pain"- William Wordsworth; "set a courageous example by leading them safely into and out of enemy-held territory" [syn: courageous, fearless] [ant: cowardly] 2: invulnerable to fear or intimidation; "audacious explorers"; "fearless reporters and photographers"; "intrepid pioneers" [syn: audacious, dauntless, fearless, intrepid, unfearing] 3: brightly colored and showy; "girls decked out in brave new dresses"; "brave banners flying"; "`braw’ is a Scottish word"; "a dress a bit too gay for her years"; "birds with gay plumage" [syn: braw, gay] n 1: a North American Indian warrior 2: people who are brave; "the home of the free and the brave" [ant: timid] v : face or endure with courage; "She braved the elements" [syn: weather, endure, brave out]
bravely adv.
braveness n.
Synonyms: brave, courageous, fearless, intrepid, bold, audacious, valiant, valorous, mettlesome, plucky, dauntless, undaunted
These adjectives mean having or showing courage under difficult or dangerous conditions. Brave, the least specific, is frequently associated with an innate quality: “Familiarity with danger makes a brave man braver” (Herman Melville). Courageous implies consciously rising to a specific test by drawing on a reserve of inner strength: The courageous soldier helped the civilians escape from the enemy. Fearless emphasizes absence of fear and resolute self-possession: “world-class [boating] races for fearless loners willing to face the distinct possibility of being run down, dismasted, capsized, attacked by whales” (Jo Ann Morse Ridley). Intrepid sometimes suggests invulnerability to fear: Intrepid pioneers settled the American West. Bold stresses readiness to meet danger or difficulty and often a tendency to seek it out: “If we shrink from the hard contests where men must win at the hazard of their lives… then bolder and stronger peoples will pass us by” (Theodore Roosevelt). Audacious implies extreme confidence and boldness: “To demand these God-given rights is to seek black powerwhat I call audacious power” (Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.). Valiant suggests the bravery of a hero or a heroine: “a sympathetic and detailed biography that sees Hemingway as a valiant and moral man” (New York Times). Valorous applies to the deeds of heroes and heroines: “The other hostages [will] never forget her calm, confident, valorous work” (William W. Bradley). Mettlesome stresses spirit and love of challenge: “her horse, whose mettlesome spirit required a better rider” (Henry Fielding). Plucky emphasizes spirit and heart in the face of unfavorable odds: “Everybody was… anxious to show these Belgians what England thought of their plucky little country” (H.G. Wells). Dauntless refers to courage that resists subjection or intimidation: “So faithful in love, and so dauntless in war,/There never was knight like the young Lochinvar” (Sir Walter Scott). Undaunted suggests persistent courage and resolve: “Death and sorrow will be the companions of our journey…. We must be united, we must be undaunted, we must be inflexible” (Winston S. Churchill).Until next time, Your friend,
Anita Thompson
