brash

[brash]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR brash ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, brash·er, brash·est. Also brashy.

impertinent; impudent; tactless: a brash young man.

hasty; rash; impetuous.

energetic or highly spirited, especially in an irreverent way; zesty: a brash new musical.

(used especially of wood) brittle.

noun

a pile or stack of loose fragments or debris, as of rocks or hedge clippings.

brash ice.

Pathology. heartburn(def 1).

Scot. and North England Dialect.

a sudden shower or burst of rain.
any sudden, minor sickness or indisposition, especially of the digestive tract.
an assault; attack.

Origin of brash

1400–50; (noun) late Middle English brass(c)he a slap, crash, perhaps blend of brok(e) (Old English broc breach, fragment, sickness; akin to break) and dasch smashing blow; see dash¹; (adj.) in sense “brittle,” derivative of noun; in sense “hasty” by confusion with rash¹

Related formsbrash·ly, adverbbrash·ness, noun

Synonyms for brash

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR brash ON THESAURUS.COM

2. reckless, overhasty, imprudent, foolhardy, precipitate.

Antonyms for brash

2. cautious, wary, prudent, careful.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for brash

impetuous, bold, rude, cocky, cheeky, reckless, audacious, cocksure, effervescent, flip, foolhardy, forward, hasty, headlong, heedless, hotheaded, ill-advised, impertinent, impolitic, impudent

Examples from the Web for brash

Contemporary Examples of brash

The brash, engaged, occasionally self-centered ex-lawmaker seemed to retreat inward and practically disappear.
Hagel Takes a Bullet for Obama: Inside the Defense Secretary’s Sudden Firing
Shane Harris, Tim Mak
November 24, 2014
Brash, crass, and overflowing with wiseass attitude, he remains the ultimate postmodern superhero.
The King of Postmodern Cool Is Reborn in ‘Ash Vs. The Evil Dead’
Nick Schager
November 15, 2014
Brash, crass, and sporting a perpetually raised eyebrow, Ash Williams remains the ultimate postmodern superhero.
The King of Postmodern Cool Is Reborn in ‘Ash Vs. The Evil Dead’
Nick Schager
November 15, 2014
In the movie, Murray portrays Vincent McKenna, a brash, loud, foul-mouthed man who drinks and chain-smokes.
Meet Vincent McKenna, Your New Favorite Bill Murray Character
Alex Suskind
September 6, 2014
By relieving McElhone of the brash movie ending she is able to maintain her grasp on a flawed but still complex character.
Return of the Bunny Boiler: Fatal Attraction’s World Stage Premiere
Nico Hines
March 26, 2014

Historical Examples of brash

It should always be a dry, sound stick, brash, but not in the least punky.
Boy Scouts Handbook
Boy Scouts of America
If this brash young Ranger wanted a fight he could have it on the jump.
Oh, You Tex!
William Macleod Raine
On the other hand, could I renig on the job after all that brash line of talk I'd given Vee?
Torchy As A Pa
Sewell Ford
A little later we were not brash enough to know anything where he was concerned.
Lost Face
Jack London
You don't know what a bad impression you make when you're too brash.
The Trail of the Hawk
Sinclair Lewis

British Dictionary definitions for brash

brash

adjective

tastelessly or offensively loud, showy, or bold

hasty; rash

impudent

Derived Formsbrashly, adverbbrashness, noun

Word Origin for brash

C19: perhaps influenced by rash 1

brash

noun

loose rubbish, such as broken rock, hedge clippings, etc; debris

Word Origin for brash

C18: of unknown origin

brash

noun

pathol another name for heartburn

Word Origin for brash

C16: perhaps of imitative origin

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

Word Origin and History for brash

adj.

1824, of obscure origin, originally American English; perhaps akin to 16c. Scottish brash "attack, assault," or French breche "fragments," especially of ice, from a Germanic source (cf. Old High German brehha "breach," from brehhan "to break"), or to German brechen "to vomit."