brassy
1 Americannoun
adjective
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insolent; brazen
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flashy; showy
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(of sound) harsh, strident, or resembling the sound of a brass instrument
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like brass, esp in colour
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decorated with or made of brass
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a variant spelling of brassie
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of brassy
Explanation
Someone who's brassy is bold and flashy — and maybe even a little rude. That brassy kid in class seems to get all the attention, while their quiet, shy classmates get overlooked. Use the adjective brassy to mean bold and brash, or to describe something that looks like the metal brass (but not in a good way): "He tried to dye his hair strawberry blonde, but it came out brassy." When something sounds brassy, it resembles a trumpet or trombone, or another brass instrument. The "brazen" meaning comes from a comparison of brass to gold; in the 16th century, brassy meant "strident and artificial."
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.
Marks jumped at the chance to perform for free inside the theater, his brassy freewheeling equally complementing and contrasting the sounds of the intersection.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026
She was joined in the top 10 by another U.K. singer, Raye, who favors swank Sixties outfits and has a brassy hit called “Where Is My Husband!”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026
The star, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, was competing with himself for song and record of the year, as the brassy “Baile Inolvidable” and the mournful “DTMF” were nominated in both categories.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025
Like a brassy classic dame, she says exactly what she means.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2025
When he’d finally had his fill, he took Joyce’s hand and pulled her back out onto the deck where the band was again playing loud, brassy dance tunes.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
