brash

American  

[brash] / bræʃ /

adjective

• brasher,
  comparative
• brashest
  superlative

1. impertinent; impudent; tactless.

   a brash young man.

2. hasty; rash; impetuous.

   Synonyms:

   precipitate, foolhardy, imprudent, overhasty, reckless

   Antonyms:

   careful, prudent, wary, cautious

3. energetic or highly spirited, especially in an irreverent way; zesty.

   a brash new musical.

4. (used especially of wood) brittle.

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noun

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

2. brash ice.

3. Pathology. heartburn.

4. Scot. and North England Dialect.

   1. a sudden shower or burst of rain.

   2. any sudden, minor sickness or indisposition, especially of the digestive tract.

   3. an assault; attack.

brash ¹ British  

/ bræʃ /

adjective

1. tastelessly or offensively loud, showy, or bold

2. hasty; rash

3. impudent

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brash ² British  

/ bræʃ /

noun

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

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brash ³ British  

/ bræʃ /

noun

1. pathol another name for heartburn

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• brashness
  noun
• brashly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• brasher
  comparative
• brashest
  superlative

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Etymology

Origin of brash

First recorded in 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 dash ¹; (adjective) in the sense “brittle” is derivative of the noun; in the sense “hasty” by confusion with rash ¹

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Explanation

Brash sounds like what it means: harsh, loud, and maybe a little rude. Sometimes that’s good, like when you have a serious rash on your face and give Aunt Nell a brash warning before she showers you with kisses. There's nothing warm and fuzzy about brash. New Yorkers are sometimes thought of as the poster children for brash behavior: they can be bold and brazen. Pushy even. You might find brashness offensive, or maybe you think it's refreshingly direct. If you're a cab driver, a tough exterior might be useful, but being brash probably won’t advance your career if you work in a hotel, where you’re supposed to be polite and welcoming.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brash brasher brashest

Before his legal troubles, Shkreli was viewed as a brash outsider.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

“A.I. company makes big, brash economic claim” isn’t surprising, but these stories were striking because of the medium involved.

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026

He hasn't done himself any favours with the way he communicates in public – easily irritable and brash.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

Brunson’s not brash or noisy in the way the city is—he’s quite the opposite, humble and quiet—but there’s a relentlessness to him, almost a fever.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

Rutherford, however, compensated with his own blustery good will: “He’s a brash young man,” he told Oliphant after Lawrence departed, “but he’ll learn!”

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

The American college game is known for being brasher and noisier than the professional ranks, with Fery showing he could thrive in a rambunctious atmosphere.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

But her very existence gave a certain kind of young woman a compelling model of how to be a brasher, less apologetic, more feminist person in the world.

From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2026

But recent months have showed a shift away from the brasher campaigning.

From Reuters ● Jul. 7, 2023

But he tended to downplay his virtuosity in his PiL days, describing his signature sound — made sharper and brasher by his use of guitars with aluminum necks or bodies — in distinctly post-punk terms.

From New York Times ● Nov. 18, 2022

It was an institution for girls near my house, and the young ladies were faster, brasher, meaner and more prejudiced than any I had met at Lafayette County Training School.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

The planet’s brashest sport had arrived at what is putatively “The People’s House” to deliver a night of branded mayhem to the head of state, like gladiators bequeathed to an emperor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

But the brashest experiments in cut-rate flying might subside for years, given shortages of pilots, airport slots, and just about everything else they depend upon.

From Barron's ● May 8, 2026

As a pro wrestler, Drew McIntyre is one of WWE's biggest and brashest villains.

From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2025

Boldest and brashest was a patrician New York State assemblyman named Theodore Roosevelt.

From New York Times ● Oct. 26, 2019

Then Watkins Glen pulled out, leaving Lang — the original Woodstock’s brashest impresario, still milking the brand at age 74 — scrambling for an alternative site.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2019

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Related Words

• bold
• brazen
• cheeky
• cocky
• rude

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