brazen

1 of 2

adjective

bra·​zen ˈbrā-zᵊn 

1

: made of brass

drinking from brazen cups

2

a

: sounding harsh and loud like struck brass

the horrible brazen voice of the fire bell

—Elmer Davis

b

: of the color of polished brass

3

: marked by shameless or disrespectful boldness

a brazen disregard for the rules

brazenly adverb

brazenness

ˈbrā-zᵊn-(n)əs 

noun

brazen

2 of 2

verb

brazened; brazening

ˈbrāz-niŋ,

ˈbrā-zᵊn-iŋ 

transitive verb

: to face with defiance or impudence

—usually used in the phrase brazen it out

Synonyms

Adjective

• arch
• audacious
• bold
• bold-faced
• brash
• brassbound
• brassy
• brazen-faced
• cheeky
• cocksure
• cocky
• fresh
• impertinent
• impudent
• insolent
• nervy
• sassy
• saucy
• wise

Verb

• beard
• brave
• breast
• confront
• dare
• defy
• face
• outbrave
• outface

Examples of brazen in a Sentence

Adjective

He exhibited a brazen disregard for other people's feelings.

a brazen demand for special treatment just because she's rich

Verb

a filmmaker willing to brazen the criticism that such a violent film was sure to provoke

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

If that seems brazen, don’t forget: The Big Ten and SEC used the threat of forming their own football postseason event as a means of seizing control of the College Football Playoff governance structure. —Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025

The most alarming misbehavior was brazen dishonesty. —Steven Levy, Wired News, 28 Mar. 2025

And real-world examples are becoming more brazen: in one case, fraudsters impersonated a company’s CFO on a video call using a deepfake, successfully convincing employees to transfer $25 million. —Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025

Trump gave it his vocal and brazen support, mocking a rare rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Verb

Middle English brasen, from Old English bræsen, from bræs brass

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1555, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing brazen

• brazen-faced
• brazen it out

Rhymes for brazen

• blazon
• hazan
• zazen
• malmaison

Kids Definition

brazen

1 of 2 adjective

bra·​zen ˈbrāz-ᵊn 

1

: made of brass

2

: sounding harsh and loud like struck brass

3

: not ashamed of or embarrassed by one's bad behavior : impudent

4

: of the color of polished brass

brazenly adverb

brazenness

ˈbrāz-ᵊn-(n)əs 

noun

brazen

2 of 2 verb

brazened; brazening ˈbrāz-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

: to face boldly or defiantly

an enemy who'd rather brazen it out than surrender