What does "bravery" mean?

1. (courage) the quality of being brave and facing danger or pain without fear. 2. (a brave act) a specific act or action that shows courage. 3. (splendour) great beauty or impressive appearance.

bravery

US //ˈbɹeɪvɝi// UK //bɹˈeɪvəɹi// brav·ery

1 courage (n.)
B1 Intermediate

the quality of being brave and facing danger or pain without fear.

the quality of being brave; courageousness in the face of danger or difficulty.

Example

The young firefighter showed great bravery when he ran into the burning building.

Example

The medal was awarded for conspicuous bravery during the rescue operation, where the officer risked his life to save several trapped civilians.
- courage
- valour
- fearlessness
- cowardice
- fear
2 a brave act (n.)
C1 Advanced Formal

a specific act or action that shows courage.

a specific instance or act of courage. This countable usage is less common than the abstract sense.

Example

The history books are full of the braveries of soldiers from the past.

Example

The poet chronicled the various braveries of the knights, turning each individual deed into a verse of the epic.
- exploit
- feat

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3 splendour (n.)
C2 Proficiency Archaic Literary

great beauty or impressive appearance.

splendour, magnificence, or fine appearance. This sense is now largely restricted to historical or literary contexts.

Example

The king arrived in all his bravery, wearing silk and gold.

Example

The garden was a riot of colour, displaying the full bravery of the spring blossoms against the grey stone walls.
- splendour
- magnificence
- finery
- plainness
- drabness

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French braverie, from braver (“to brave”), or Italian braveria, from bravare (“to brave”). By surface analysis, brave + -ery.