brash
Americanadjective
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impertinent; impudent; tactless.
a brash young man.
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- Synonyms:
- precipitate, foolhardy, imprudent, overhasty, reckless
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energetic or highly spirited, especially in an irreverent way; zesty.
a brash new musical.
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(used especially of wood) brittle.
adjective
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tastelessly or offensively loud, showy, or bold
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hasty; rash
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impudent
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing brash
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 5
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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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.
Still, for many of the 200,000 Angelenos who voted for Pratt, his brash, social media-fueled campaign was not just a long exercise in trolling.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
Rollins, reflecting on his nearly seven-decade career in the 2016 interview with AFP, said he had perhaps been too brash with the legends around him.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
McGregor rose to fame after winning his first five fights in the UFC, with his brash and witty personality captivating fans.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
If Monaco, Monza and Spa-Francorchamps were the circuits that defined F1 heritage—the heartlands of European motor racing—Miami has come to embody the sport’s brash American future.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
Even the sternest teachers and the brash older girls with whom you hardly dared to speak smiled at you in a special, knowing way your whole birthday long.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
