gallant

gallant
1 of 3
adjective
gal·;lant (usually in sense 2) ;ga-l;nt  g;-;lant  (usually in sense 3) g;-;l;nt
Synonyms of gallant
1
: showy in dress or bearing : smart
2
a
: splendid, stately
a gallant ship
b
: spirited, brave
gallant efforts against the enemy
c
: nobly chivalrous and often self-sacrificing
3
: courteously and elaborately attentive especially to ladies
gallantly adverb
gallant

2 of 3
noun
gal·;lant g;-;lant  g;-;l;nt  ;ga-l;nt
1
: a young man of fashion
2
a
: ladies' man
b
: suitor
c
: paramour
gallant

3 of 3
verb
gal·;lant g;-;lant  -;l;nt
gallanted; gallanting; gallants
transitive verb

1
: to pay court to (a lady) : attend
used to gallant her in his youth
—Washington Irving
2
obsolete : to manipulate (a fan) in a modish manner
intransitive verb

: to pay court to ladies

Synonyms
Adjective

bold
brave
courageous
dauntless
doughty
fearless
greathearted
gutsy
gutty
heroic
heroical
intrepid
lionhearted
manful
stalwart
stout
stouthearted
undauntable
undaunted
valiant
valorous
Noun

beau
Beau Brummell
buck
dandy
dude
fop
jay
lounge lizard
macaroni
pretty boy
Choose the Right Synonym for gallant

civil, polite, courteous, gallant, chivalrous mean observant of the forms required by good breeding.

civil often suggests little more than the avoidance of overt rudeness.

owed the questioner a civil reply
polite commonly implies polish of speech and manners and sometimes suggests an absence of cordiality.

if you can't be pleasant, at least be polite
courteous implies more actively considerate or dignified politeness.

clerks who were unfailingly courteous to customers
gallant and chivalrous imply courteous attentiveness especially to women.

gallant suggests spirited and dashing behavior and ornate expressions of courtesy.

a gallant suitor of the old school
chivalrous suggests high-minded and self-sacrificing behavior.

a chivalrous display of duty
Examples of gallant in a Sentence
Adjective
The defenders of the fort made a gallant stand.
They failed to reach the summit, but they made a gallant attempt.
He greeted her with a gallant bow.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
But at the very end, America's Democratic majority came home to Carter in a late surge that flooded polling places in party strongholds across the nation and stopped Ford's gallant comeback just short of victory.
—Peter Goldman, Newsweek, 29 Dec. 2024
The Bears had mounted a gallant comeback in the second half against the best team in football and were in a position to tie the score with a field goal or win the game with a touchdown.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024
Albert Su;rez stepped in to pitch a gallant five innings but understandably could not go more on short notice.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 9 Aug. 2024
If only our decade had a gallant narrative for the history books to counterbalance all of the sleaziness, like when the Continental Army took over airports during the Revolutionary War.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2024