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Synonyms

brazen

American  
[brey-zuhn] / ˈbreɪ zən /

adjective

  1. shameless or impudent.

    brazen presumption.

    Synonyms:
    brassy, defiant, insolent
  2. made of brass.

  3. like brass, as in sound, color, or strength.

    Synonyms:
    brassy

verb (used with object)

  1. to make brazen or bold.

verb phrase

  1. brazen out / through to face boldly or shamelessly.

    He prefers to brazen it out rather than admit defeat.

brazen British  
/ ˈbreɪzən /

adjective

  1. shameless and bold

  2. made of or resembling brass

  3. having a ringing metallic sound like that of a brass trumpet

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to face and overcome boldly or shamelessly

    the witness brazened out the prosecutor's questions

  2. to make (oneself, etc) bold or brash

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See bold.

Other Word Forms

  • brazenly adverb
  • brazenness noun
  • outbrazen verb (used with object)
  • unbrazen adjective
  • unbrazenness noun

Etymology

Origin of brazen

First recorded before 1000; Middle English brasen (adjective), Old English bræsen “(made) of brass”; brass

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.

On Tuesday, des Cars sent her resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, which was accepted, following a string of scandals including the brazen theft of French crown jewels valued at $100 million in October.

From Barron's

Her departure comes just months after thieves carried out a brazen heist that stunned officials and the art world.

From The Wall Street Journal

There is a particular kind of hypocrisy so brazen, so cartoonishly on-the-nose, that it almost defies satire.

From Salon

"It's a brazen ambush. Whether the victim was the intended target or it was somebody that he knows or associates with or is related to will all form part of the investigation."

From BBC

Food and Drug Administration is cancelling development of a new flu vaccine from biotech giant Moderna, with one unnamed senior FDA official calling the clinical trial a “brazen failure.”

From Salon