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The English language has no shortage of synonyms for brave. In fact, it even has two different such words from the same Latin verb, valēre ("to have strength"): valiant and valorous. Valiant is the older of the pair, borrowed from the Anglo-French adjective vaillant ("worthy, strong courageous") in the 1300s. Valorous followed in the 1400s, a combination of valor ("strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness")—another valēre descendent—and the adjective suffix -ous. (The form was inspired either by the Middle French word valeureux or the Medieval Latin word valōrōsus.) While the words can be used synonymously, valorous sometimes has an archaic or romantic ring, describing stout-hearted warriors of yore, while the more common word valiant describes soldiers as well as general kinds of bravery or effort.
Synonyms
Examples of valorous in a Sentence
Jay Peters, The Verge, 19 July 2024
Russian claims to Crimea draw from a deep well of historical mythologies that enshrine the region within narratives of religious identity, valorous militarism, and Soviet nostalgia.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 23 Feb. 2024
The Republican refusal to support the valorous resistance of Ukraine in their fight against the sudden sneak attack without provocation by Russia’s imperial new Stalin, Vladimir Putin, leaves me simply incredulous.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2024
It was upgraded to the Medal of Honor decades later following a policy change that lifted a requirement that such awards be made within five years of valorous acts.
—CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for valorous 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'valorous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near valorous
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“Valorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/valorous. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.
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valorous
adjective
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