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

Therefore it has been a surprise she has not enjoyed greater success on the Flushing Meadows hard courts, perhaps a result of her personality not being particularly suited to the brash nature of New York.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 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

Instead, the brash phenom who once compared himself to Mike Trout spent half a decade toiling in the minors, a difficult stretch filled with disappointment, frustration and a boatload of strikeouts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

We step outside into the brash light of another world I can’t possibly understand.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

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

Some of the newer arrivals like Steve Biggers, a transplant from Nashville and a tea party member, brought a brasher style of politics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2024

When Rupert took the paper over, he used bigger headlines and brasher stories to blow away his competitors.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2023

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

From Reuters ● Jul. 7, 2023

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

Didi showed that Chinese entrepreneurs could go head to head with Silicon Valley’s brashest and most cunning upstarts, and come out on top.

From New York Times ● Aug. 27, 2021

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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