/pedant: it is, actually. Definition is "ready to face danger or pain". "Brave" is mostly used approvingly, but it's also completely proper in sentences like "He decided the app should be IE-only, which was a brave move but one he felt was justified by ..."
Similarly with "daring" -- you often hear of "daring robberies" and the like.
Sorry, you don't get to be all prescriptivist in telling someone what "brave" doesn't mean, then suddenly produce a descriptivist defence when you're called on it; they're incompatible.
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I suppose you could say it's 'brave', though, in the same way that trying to swindle someone and hoping they don't notice is brave.
That's not what "brave" means.
/pedant: it is, actually. Definition is "ready to face danger or pain". "Brave" is mostly used approvingly, but it's also completely proper in sentences like "He decided the app should be IE-only, which was a brave move but one he felt was justified by ..."
Similarly with "daring" -- you often hear of "daring robberies" and the like.
Interesting point. "Brave" is usually considered to be a virtue, and people don't want to attribute virtues to scoundrels.
Ah, the joys of learning English from dictionary definitions instead of literary use.
Because dictionary definitions aren't based on literary use at all.
Sorry, you don't get to be all prescriptivist in telling someone what "brave" doesn't mean, then suddenly produce a descriptivist defence when you're called on it; they're incompatible.