bra·vu·ra
brə-ˈvyu̇r-ə 
brä-,
-ˈvu̇r-
1
music
: a musical passage requiring exceptional agility and technical skill in execution
2
: a florid brilliant style
3
: a show of daring or brilliance
Examples of bravura in a Sentence
Adjective
a truly bravura performance of the ballet that brought the crowd to its feet
Recent Examples on the Web
Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
But over-familiarity is, for the most part, swept away by a production of stunning, seductive imagination and bravura execution.
—Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
McAdams and O’Brien deliver almost silent-film-era acting with their faces (there’s one bravura long shot of O’Brien eating a bug that’s absolutely virtuosic), and Raimi’s camera playfully pushes the audience around, offering exaggerated tilts and close-ups.
—Katie Walsh, Dallas Morning News, 28 Jan. 2026
Featuring a bravura performance by Hawke, Blue Moon, Linklater’s ninth collaboration with the actor, presents an evening in the company of 5ft songwriter Lorenz Hart, seven months before his ultimately death aged just 48.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 9 Jan. 2026
Two years ago, on March 9, 2024, Chan turned in a bravura performance, 79:22 of scoreless hockey, 38 saves, to finally beat Northeastern for the Hockey East tournament championship at the Toscano Family Ice Pavilion.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2026
The glued sheets of paper typically laid down in grids; bravura brushwork; unruly drips; and stamped imagery of flower blossoms and other forms interrupt the illusionism of Marshall’s scenarios, reminding a viewer of their materiality.
—James Meyer, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
In its more playful moments, the camera seems to cross the threshold between different time frames, or to drift in and out of a character’s consciousness with a mad metaphysical bravura.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025
Benjamin Lima
special Contributor, Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026
Ford put in a bravura performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
The many years spent pondering and preparing for a potential attack on Iran are the reason that the first days of the war were, for the most part, a bravura display of American power.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
But over-familiarity is, for the most part, swept away by a production of stunning, seductive imagination and bravura execution.
—Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
The bravura production and costume design are respectively by Suzie Davies and Jacqueline Durran, both correctly tipping the outrageous into the tacky.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Featuring a bravura performance by Hawke, Blue Moon, Linklater’s ninth collaboration with the actor, presents an evening in the company of 5ft songwriter Lorenz Hart, seven months before his ultimately death aged just 48.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 9 Jan. 2026
One day after Toronto displayed why its offense led all postseason teams in most hitting metrics in an 11-4 win, the Blue Jays were silenced by Yamamoto’s bravura pitching.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 26 Oct. 2025
Tracy’s dialogue, though absent the staccato non sequiturs of the director’s earlier work, has a bracing nastiness; every visual flourish and every menacing thrum of the score, by Jerskin Fendrix, escalates the intensity of Stone and Plemons’s bravura showdown.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
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Noun
The show also features bravura performances from Mark McGrath and Pat O’Brien skewering their bland TV-presenter personas.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
But over-familiarity is, for the most part, swept away by a production of stunning, seductive imagination and bravura execution.
—Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
McAdams and O’Brien deliver almost silent-film-era acting with their faces (there’s one bravura long shot of O’Brien eating a bug that’s absolutely virtuosic), and Raimi’s camera playfully pushes the audience around, offering exaggerated tilts and close-ups.
—Katie Walsh, Dallas Morning News, 28 Jan. 2026
Featuring a bravura performance by Hawke, Blue Moon, Linklater’s ninth collaboration with the actor, presents an evening in the company of 5ft songwriter Lorenz Hart, seven months before his ultimately death aged just 48.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 9 Jan. 2026
Two years ago, on March 9, 2024, Chan turned in a bravura performance, 79:22 of scoreless hockey, 38 saves, to finally beat Northeastern for the Hockey East tournament championship at the Toscano Family Ice Pavilion.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2026
The glued sheets of paper typically laid down in grids; bravura brushwork; unruly drips; and stamped imagery of flower blossoms and other forms interrupt the illusionism of Marshall’s scenarios, reminding a viewer of their materiality.
—James Meyer, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
In its more playful moments, the camera seems to cross the threshold between different time frames, or to drift in and out of a character’s consciousness with a mad metaphysical bravura.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025
Adjective
The most eye-catching part of his work is his bravura treatment of light and shadow, an aspect of the style known as preciosismo in Spanish, in which he was much influenced by Fortuny.
—Benjamin Lima
special Contributor, Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026
Ford put in a bravura performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
The many years spent pondering and preparing for a potential attack on Iran are the reason that the first days of the war were, for the most part, a bravura display of American power.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
But over-familiarity is, for the most part, swept away by a production of stunning, seductive imagination and bravura execution.
—Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
The bravura production and costume design are respectively by Suzie Davies and Jacqueline Durran, both correctly tipping the outrageous into the tacky.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Featuring a bravura performance by Hawke, Blue Moon, Linklater’s ninth collaboration with the actor, presents an evening in the company of 5ft songwriter Lorenz Hart, seven months before his ultimately death aged just 48.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 9 Jan. 2026
One day after Toronto displayed why its offense led all postseason teams in most hitting metrics in an 11-4 win, the Blue Jays were silenced by Yamamoto’s bravura pitching.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 26 Oct. 2025
Tracy’s dialogue, though absent the staccato non sequiturs of the director’s earlier work, has a bracing nastiness; every visual flourish and every menacing thrum of the score, by Jerskin Fendrix, escalates the intensity of Stone and Plemons’s bravura showdown.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bravura.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bravura. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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