Bravehearts
Words for brave
Learn the family of words for bravery, and how they differ.
Unit 5 uses a whole family of words for bravery. They're close, but not the same:
| Word | Type | Shade of meaning |
|---|---|---|
| courage | noun | the quality of bravery: everyday, fits anywhere |
| valour | noun | grander; belongs to battle ("stories of valour") |
| valiant, gallant | adjectives | describe a brave person ("our valiant soldiers") |
| heroic | adjective | worthy of a hero (a heroic act) |
| fearless | adjective | without fear |
| bold | adjective | willing to act despite risk |
| daring | adjective | taking a risk on purpose |
| undaunted | adjective | not discouraged; carrying on after things go wrong |
Now the other side, where people often mix words up:
Cowardly describes a person or act lacking courage, and it's a judgement: "Ajay's cowardly refusal to stand up for his friend disappointed everyone."
Timid means shy and easily frightened. It's gentler, with no blame: "The timid child hid behind his mother."
Fear vs afraid:
| Word | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| fear | noun (the feeling itself); you have a fear, a fear of something | Anjali's fear of heights stopped her climbing the ladder. |
| afraid | adjective (how someone feels) | Sushma felt afraid entering the dark building. |
Fear is the thing; afraid is the state.
Valour and courage are the qualities, valiant and gallant the people — and fear is a noun while afraid is an adjective.
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