brash

[ brash ]

See synonyms for: brash brashes brashly brashness 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

First recorded in1400–50; (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; (adjective) in the sense “brittle” is derivative of the noun; in the sense “hasty” by confusion with rash¹

Other words for brash

2	reckless, overhasty, imprudent, foolhardy, precipitate

See synonyms for brash on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for brash

2	cautious, wary, prudent, careful

See antonyms for brash on Thesaurus.com

Other words from brash

brash·ly, adverb
brash·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use brash in a sentence

This was a victory that could only have been won by a political movement with a brashly irrational self-confidence.
The Republican Frat-Boy Culture | Reihan Salam | March 28, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
He had not started the journey brashly, on impulse, but after debate and discussion with Mandy, his wife.
Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington Kelland
At first, I was brashly incredulous, as anyone would be who was mixing and mingling with the colonel in the daily amenities.
The King of Arcadia | Francis Lynde

British Dictionary definitions for brash (1 of 3)

brash¹

/ (bræʃ) /

adjective

tastelessly or offensively loud, showy, or bold
hasty; rash

impudent

Origin of brash

C19: perhaps influenced by rash 1

Derived forms of brash

brashly, adverb
brashness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for brash (2 of 3)

brash²

/ (bræʃ) /

noun

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

Origin of brash

C18: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for brash (3 of 3)

brash³

/ (bræʃ) /

noun

pathol another name for heartburn

Origin of 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

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