prowess
Americannoun
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exceptional valor, bravery, or ability, especially in combat or battle.
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exceptional or superior ability, skill, or strength.
his prowess as a public speaker.
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a valiant or daring deed.
noun
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outstanding or superior skill or ability
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bravery or fearlessness, esp in battle
Other Word Forms
- prowessed adjective
Etymology
Origin of prowess
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French proesse, proece “goodness, bravery,” equivalent to prou prow 2 + -esse, from Latin -itia -ice
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Others are ready to play on varsity as freshmen because of their physical and mental prowess.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
If anything, strategists say the U.S. technological and military prowess on display in Venezuela and Iran are likely raising questions in Beijing about military readiness.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
Google’s mergers and acquisitions team had assembled a roster of in-house AI experts to assess DeepMind’s prowess, and the visitors showed off the recent progress with their Atari agent.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
For decades, mole catchers in the countryside have hung their carcasses on fences to be counted for payment and as evidence of their trapping prowess.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
Halleck’s cousins followed Halleck, then one of Harma’s banner-bearers, then men who’d fought with her, then others who had heard tales of their prowess.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
