At first glance, the adjective doughty might be confused with doughy. But the pronunciation and definition of each word is quite different: Doughty (DOW tee) means physically fit, or brave or valiant; while doughy (DOE ee) means soft, pasty, or flabby — like soft dough. Still not sure how to pronounce doughty? Here's a mnemonic: Don't doubt me, I'm doughty! When Don Quixote dies at the end of the eponymous novel, his friend Samson Carrasco offers this epitaph for the tomb: A doughty gentleman lies here; A stranger all his life to fear; Nor in his death could Death prevail, In that last hour, to make him quail.