adjective
-
unconcealed or shameless
a barefaced lie
-
with the face uncovered or shaven
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of barefaced
Explanation
If masked means hidden, barefaced means unconcealed. If you get caught speeding and reach into your wallet and hand the officer $20, that’s a barefaced attempt at a bribe. Barefaced — or as it's sometimes known, bald-faced — behavior is always bold and sometimes shameless. Nonchalantly telling a security guard at the jewelry store that you "plain forgot" you'd slipped the necklace into your pocket is a barefaced lie and shameless to boot. A reporter's barefaced questioning of a mayor found to be stealing from city treasury carries no shame, on the other hand — at least not for the reporter.
Vocabulary lists containing barefaced
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act III
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
"Barefaced impudence!" muttered the voice at the window.
From Regina or the Sins of the Fathers by Sudermann, Hermann
A Haunched Barefaced Tenon, used in similar positions to Fig.
From Woodwork Joints How they are Set Out, How Made and Where Used. by Fairham, William
Barefaced and brutal immorality and intemperance pervaded the land, from the highest to the lowest classes of society.
From Science & Education by Huxley, Thomas Henry
Barefaced boldness is the prime quality, the chief stock-in-trade, the ground-element of education in these artists.
From The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi Volume the Second by Gozzi, Count Carlo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
