gallant 1 of 3

1
as in valiant
feeling or displaying no fear by temperament a gallant firefighter, rushing into the burning house to save the children a gallant rescue

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3

gallant

2 of 3

noun

1
as in dude
a man extremely interested in his clothing and personal appearance he was quite a gallant, primping more than either of his sisters

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2

gallant

3 of 3

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective gallant contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of gallant are chivalrous, civil, courteous, and polite. While all these words mean "observant of the forms required by good breeding," 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

Where would chivalrous be a reasonable alternative to gallant?

The words chivalrous and gallant can be used in similar contexts, but chivalrous suggests high-minded and self-sacrificing behavior.

a chivalrous display of duty

When could civil be used to replace gallant?

While the synonyms civil and gallant are close in meaning, civil often suggests little more than the avoidance of overt rudeness.

owed the questioner a civil reply

When can courteous be used instead of gallant?

Although the words courteous and gallant have much in common, courteous implies more actively considerate or dignified politeness.

clerks who were unfailingly courteous to customers

When might polite be a better fit than gallant?

The words polite and gallant are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gallant
Adjective
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 Posey became recognizable throughout Philadelphia for his fine clothes and gallant demeanor. Ramin Ganeshram, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024 This council made a gallant effort to socialize this City Charter mandate. Detroit Free Press, 7 Feb. 2024 There’s the sob story, the gallant bildungsroman, the louche chronicle of various addictive behaviors, the righteous making of an activist, the victory lap. Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2023 See all Example Sentences for gallant 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gallant
Adjective
  • Elena Rybakina made a valiant go of it with a bad back but fell in three sets to Madison Keys. Eva Lys, a lucky loser, ran into the Iga Swiatek buzzsaw and was finished in 59 minutes.
    Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Enterprises are dedicating significant portions of their budgets to cybersecurity, and many are mounting valiant efforts to defend their digital borders.
    Danielle Sheer, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • But as his latest shows, noble principles about the protection of wildlife and animals don’t automatically translate to a good screenplay or a watchable movie.
    Tomris Laffly, Variety, 17 Jan. 2025
  • For spring 2025, Loro Piana switched its focus from cashmere to linen, crowned as the noble fiber of the season.
    Luisa Zargani, WWD, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Just take Sotheby's royal and noble sale of magnificent jewels last year that achieved more than twice the estimate, showing the high demand of revival jewelry.
    Felicity Carter, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
  • And as for the celebrated Saturn 5, the magnificent machine that launched the Apollo astronauts to the moon?
    Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • In order to juggle the responsibilities of both roles, Chalamet called up some backup: the dudes from his lookalike competition.
    Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2025
  • There’s the dude who feeds and raises goats, for reasons entirely unknown.
    Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The pop star's boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, met up with the couple at the show and discussed it in a May episode of his New Heights podcast.
    Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
  • The fashion influencer’s boyfriend, tennis pro Taylor Fritz, was knocked out of the Grand Slam tournament after his defeat by French player Gaël Monfils.
    Hannah Malach, WWD, 19 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Werther chronicles his attempts at romancing Charlotte via phone calls to his friend, only to learn that Charlotte is engaged to an emotionally unavailable man named Albert (Adams, 43).
    Tommy McArdle, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024
  • Angelina Jolie is not romancing the British rapper Akala, a source tells PEOPLE.
    Tommy McArdle, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • Allowing those convicted of these crimes to be released early diminishes accountability and devalues the sacrifices made by courageous law enforcement officers and their families.
    Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025
  • For example, a person might intend to be courageous (cognition), but fear (affect) and a fight-or-flight response (physiology) can hinder action (behavior).
    Mary Crossan, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey, which includes members of the American Political Science Association and other scholars, ranked Truman as the sixth greatest president of all time.
    Ewan Palmer, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Beyond personal vacations, Evans’ work has granted him an even greater gift of not just popping in and out of a place, but really getting to know destinations across the globe.
    Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 20 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near gallant

Cite this Entry

“Gallant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gallant. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.

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