valiant
VAL-yunt
/ˈvæl.i.ənt/
Possessing or showing courage, determination, and honor, especially in battle or challenging circumstances.
Carries a noble, high-minded connotation, often associated with defense, struggle, or honorable effort.
The story behind the word. From Old French 'vaillant', rooted in Latin 'valere' (to be strong or worth something). It originally described a warrior strong in body and character.
Word relationships
- heroic: Heroic suggests grand scale actions, while valiant emphasizes noble determination against difficult odds.
- gallant: Gallant often includes chivalry or grace alongside courage.
- craven: Craven implies contemptible cowardice.
- faint-hearted: Faint-hearted implies lacking stamina and spirit.
Commonly confused with
- valid: Valid means sound or legally binding; both share the root valere but followed different semantic paths.
Word family
- valiance (noun): bravery or valor
- valiantly (adverb): in a courageous manner
Collocations
- valiant effort
- valiant defense
- valiant knight
Example sentences
- "Despite facing overwhelming odds, the defenders made a valiant effort to hold the fortress." Historical struggle
- "Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once." Literary quote
Memory hook
VALIANT sounds like VALUE + VALOR. A valiant person has noble worth and valor. Valiant warriors fight with valor.
When not to use
Avoid using for foolishly reckless acts that lack moral dignity.
Fun facts
- The same root 'valere' gives us words like value, evaluate, prevail, and valid.
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