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

Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is set to appear Thursday at an extradition hearing in Pennsylvania after Manhattan prosecutors filed a slew of new charges related to the brazen attack. —Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024

Chin Jinping, 61, could face anywhere between no prison time and five years behind bars as well as the possibility of losing his U.S. citizenship after admitting his role in the brazen Chinese spying scheme. —John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 Dec. 2024

And now, the first project about the brazen, broad daylight killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is on the way. —Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 16 Dec. 2024

Investigators have been probing what may have motivated the suspect in the brazen early morning killing on December 4 – one that has garnered sympathy and online fandom partly because of people’s frustrations with the health insurance industry. —Kara Scannell, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024

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

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