prowess

[ prou-is ]

noun

1. exceptional valor, bravery, or ability, especially in combat or battle.
2. exceptional or superior ability, skill, or strength:

   his prowess as a public speaker.

3. a valiant or daring deed.

prowess

/ ˈpraʊɪs /

noun

1. outstanding or superior skill or ability
2. bravery or fearlessness, esp in battle

Other Words From

• prowessed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of prowess¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French proesse, proece “goodness, bravery,” equivalent to prou prow ² + -esse, from Latin -itia -ice

Word History and Origins

Origin of prowess¹

C13: from Old French proesce, from prou good; see proud

Example Sentences

With the recent explosion in computing hardware prowess and AI, we’ve been able to somewhat adequately duplicate our core senses with machines.

From Singularity Hub 

Plus, if you’d spent a summer as a sous-chef, you would try to find a way to casually demonstrate your cooking prowess, too.

From Washington Post

In theory, the Brooklyn Nets have a Big Three now, one of the most phenomenal mergers of individual offensive prowess the NBA has ever seen.

From Washington Post

That legal prowess, coupled with an activist’s spirit, has bolstered his reputation since he entered Maryland politics roughly 15 years ago.

From Washington Post

Hyundai plans to implement its newly-acquired robotics prowess for everything from service and logistics robots to autonomous driving and smart factories.

From Singularity Hub 

And, in a gratuitous show of homicidal prowess, Moses kills two assassins he meets while wandering in the desert of Sinai.

From The Daily Beast

She embodied heroin chic, and her vodka-chugging prowess earned her the nickname ‘The Tank.’

From The Daily Beast

Displaying equal prowess with their words, in the end it came down to the crowd, whose energy Arsonal channeled with precision.

From The Daily Beast

Guzmán essentially leveraged violence, political influence, and financial prowess to gain power and market share.

From The Daily Beast

As narcocorridos extolled his prowess, he built his business empire.

From The Daily Beast

This story was a favourite with Abershawe: it afforded him a reliable criterion of his unholy prowess.

From Project Gutenberg

He could fence, ride, and carry off the prize in games requiring physical prowess as well as mental fitness.

From Project Gutenberg

So the Queen bade him farewell, saying that wheresoever he might chance to tarry there would all deem him a man of prowess.

From Project Gutenberg

With eagerness sought Thorir to urge him on to make this journey, praising him and his prowess most exceedingly.

From Project Gutenberg

These Indians seem to hold in exalted estimation the martial prowess of the Americans.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• accomplishment
• aptitude
• dexterity
• excellence
• expertise
• genius
• mastery
• readiness
• talent