How to Say "Bravery" in French

courage

/ku.ʁaʒ/masculine

The English word 'bravery' is translated into French as courage.

The term refers to the quality of being brave.

Meaning: being brave (noun)

Which one should you use?

While courage refers to steady bravery, the word audace is often used to describe a more daring or risky boldness.

To describe someone as brave, use the adjective courageux for a masculine subject and courageuse for a feminine subject.

The word is pronounced /ku.ʁaʒ/ and has 2 syllables.

To describe a brave person in a very informal, almost street-slang way, one might use the word dure à cuire, which literally means 'hard to cook'.
The term sang-froid is used in French to describe a specific kind of bravery: the ability to remain calm and cool under pressure.
The word courage comes from the Latin word cor, meaning 'heart'. In the ancient and medieval mind, bravery was believed to reside in the heart rather than the mind.

Tom admirait Marie pour son courage.
Tom admired Mary for her bravery.
This sentence is useful for seeing how to express admiration for someone's courage.
Tatoeba #1984126 by nimfeo, translation #1029996 by CK
Les combattants du Hezbollah sont connus pour leur courage et leur fanatisme.
Hezbollah fighters are known for their bravery and fanaticism.
This sentence shows how the word courage can be used when describing the traits of fighters.
Tatoeba #12104682 by Amastan, translation #11634982 by Amastan
Nous l'admirons pour son courage.
We admire her for her bravery.
This sentence is useful for expressing admiration for her courage.
Tatoeba #3206855 by Dreamk33, translation #22694 by CH
Sa bravoure face à l'adversité était impressionnante.
His bravery in the face of adversity was impressive.
Son courage exceptionnel lui a valu de nombreux éloges.
His exceptional courage earned him much praise.
Sa hardiesse lors de cette mission était admirable.
His bravery during that mission was admirable.
Tu es vraiment courageuse d'affronter cette situation difficile.
You're really brave to face this difficult situation.
C'est incroyablement fort de sa part d'aller à contre-courant.
It's incredibly brave of him to go against the current.

Manon and Nathan are talking about a rescue worker.

Sources

Wiktionary, “bravery” translations and entries courage, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries courage, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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