bravado

Definition

A swaggering show of defiance or courage.

Etymology

From French bravade (“bragging or boasting”), from Italian bravata, from verb bravare (“brag, boast”), from bravo. Compare bravura.

Example Sentences

• "The angry customer stood in the middle of the showroom and voiced his complaints with loud bravado."
• "For a bravado he had the organ taken down and conveyed to his father's house, where he had it put up in the chamber where it now stands. It was also for a bravado that he played on it every day. But, by−and−by, the amount of time which he spent at it daily began to increase rapidly."
• "Rokoff assumed a truculent air, attempting by bravado to show how little he feared Tarzan’s threats."