What does "gallant" mean?
A fashionable young man who is polite and attentive to women.
Gallant
/ˈɡælənt/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A fashionable young man who is polite and attentive to women.
- Grammar: gallant is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: beau, a man, abandoned, achilles.
- Useful contrasts: caddish, dastardly, ungallant.
- Usage evidence: He is a very gallant gentleman.
How to use "gallant"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "gallant" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "gallant" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "gallant" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "gallant" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "gallant" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "beau" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "gallant", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A fashionable young man who is polite and attentive to women. dated
"PROSPERO: […] this gallant which thou see'st / Was in the wrack; and but he's something stain'd / with grief,—that beauty's canker,—thou mightst call him / A goodly person […]"
- 2 a man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance wordnet
- 3 One who woos, a lover, a suitor, a seducer.
"[…] they were discovered in a very improper manner by the husband of the gypsy, who, from jealousy it seems, had kept a watchful eye over his wife, and had dogged her to the place, where he found her in the arms of her gallant."
- 4 a man who attends or escorts a woman wordnet
- 5 A topgallant.
Verb
- 1 To attend or wait on (a lady). obsolete, transitive
"to gallant ladies to the play"
- 2 To handle with grace or in a modish manner. obsolete, transitive
"to gallant a fan"
- 3 To conduct, escort, convey. transitive
"... and the canoes of Vivenza, locking their yard-arms into those of the vanquished, very courteously gallanted them into their coral harbors."
- 4 To behave in a gallant fashion; to act the gallant.
"How different is the young, fun-loving, comical, quizzing, gallanting Captain Arthur Wellesley, when residing in his shooting lodge between Summerhill and Dangan, from the stern, cautious, careworn Fabius of the Peninsular war[.]"
Adjective
- 1 Brave, valiant, courteous, especially with regard to male attitudes towards women.
"That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds."
- 2 Polite and attentive to ladies; courteous to women; chivalrous.
"I admire all that quaint, old-fashioned politeness; it is much more to my taste than modern ease; modern ease often disgusts me. But this good old Mr. Woodhouse, I wish you had heard his gallant speeches to me at dinner. Oh! I assure you I began to think my caro sposo would be absolutely jealous."
- 3 Honorable.
"Captain Edward Carlisle[…]felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze,[…]; he could not tell what this prisoner might do. He cursed the fate which had assigned such a duty, cursed especially that fate which forced a gallant soldier to meet so superb a woman as this under handicap so hard."
- 4 Grand, noble.
- 5 Showy; splendid; magnificent; gay; well-dressed. obsolete
"This town is built in a very gallant place."
Adjective
- 1 unflinching in battle or action wordnet
- 2 being attentive to women like an ideal knight wordnet
- 3 having or displaying great dignity or nobility wordnet
- 4 lively and spirited wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 A census-designated place in Etowah County and St. Clair County, Alabama, United States, named after a pioneer settler. countable, uncountable
Example
"He is a very gallant gentleman."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "gallant"?
Common synonyms include: beau, a man, abandoned, achilles, admirer, adorer.
How do you use "gallant" in a sentence?
He is a very gallant gentleman.
How do you pronounce "gallant"?
Pronounced /ˈɡælənt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English galant, galaunt, from Old French galant (“courteous; dashing; brave”), present participle of galer (“to rejoice; make merry”), from gale (“pomp; show; festivity; mirth”); either from Frankish *wala (“good, well”), a variant form of *wela, from Proto-Germanic *wela (whence well), from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (“to choose, wish”); or alternatively from Frankish *gail (“merry; mirthful; proud; luxuriant”), from Proto-Germanic *gailaz (“merry; excited; luxurious”), related to Dutch geil (“horny; lascivious; salacious; lecherous”), German geil (“randy; horny; lecherous; wicked”), Old English gāl (“wanton; wicked; bad”).
Etymology 2
17th-century borrowing from French galant. See above.