brazen

1 of 2

adjective

bra·​zen ˈbrā-zᵊn How to pronounce brazen (audio)
1
: made of brass
drinking from brazen cups
2
a
: sounding harsh and loud like struck brass
the horrible brazen voice of the fire bellElmer Davis
b
: of the color of polished brass
3
: marked by shameless or disrespectful boldness
a brazen disregard for the rules
brazenly adverb
brazenness noun

brazen

2 of 2

verb

brazened; brazening ˈbrāz-niŋ How to pronounce brazen (audio)
ˈbrā-zᵊn-iŋ

transitive verb

: to face with defiance or impudence
usually used in the phrase brazen it out

Examples of brazen in a Sentence

Adjective He exhibited a brazen disregard for other people's feelings. a brazen demand for special treatment just because she's rich Verb a filmmaker willing to brazen the criticism that such a violent film was sure to provoke
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Wild melees, unruly crowds, brazen shootings that included two homicides, stampedes and lawless behavior – some of which were captured in viral videos on social media – ran rampant through the streets of South Beach. Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 29 Feb. 2024 His opponents have blamed him for a rise in property crimes in some parts of the county, including a brazen smash-and-grab spree at luxury stores. Nicholas Riccardi, The Denver Post, 29 Feb. 2024 Indeed, having transcended every imaginable stylistic and cultural barrier over the last half-century, the song based loosely on a flirtation between her husband and a brazen bank teller is Parton’s most covered creation. Abbie Kozolchyk, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Problems would only arise when the occasional brazen golfer would stroll into the Burchell’s garden without permission, risking the wrath of a rescue dog wary of strangers. Jack Bantock, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 None of this is a big surprise: Anitta has built a brand as a bright, brazen human firework with a supremely dedicated global fan base — 65 million followers on Instagram, 40 million monthly listeners on Spotify — that would chase her to any corner of the planet. Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024 The brazen killing on foreign soil triggered a major diplomatic backlash against Russia and prompted Germany to oust two Russian diplomats from Berlin. Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 The brazen coup attempt that took the life of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse holds all the elements of a three-act Shakespearean tragedy: plots and subplots, ambition and betrayal, gore and death, all ensnaring the circle of people closest to him, including his wife. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024 The state’s Little Hoover Commission, an independent state watchdog agency, has been taking testimony in recent months on thefts that retailers say have become more frequent and brazen in part because of Prop 47. John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2024
Verb
Fuller was brazen in committing his crimes, taking risks during working hours when other employees were in the mortuary, the report said. Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 29 Nov. 2023 With no remedy for misconduct by Supreme Court justices except impeachment, Roberts knows that his colleagues can simply brazen out any controversy. Jeffrey Toobin, The New Republic, 2 Oct. 2023 Authorities warned that a suspect brazen enough to open fire on law enforcement officers and kill a hostage in their presence — allegations made by authorities investigating the violence in April — could be very dangerous. Dennis Romero, NBC News, 11 July 2023 Her almost-brazen demeanor evokes a woman well ahead of her time. Natasha Gural, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2023 However, his status as a brazen assassin, and the fact that he is held in Germany as opposed to the United States and has served only a fraction of his life sentence, make his potential exchange a tall order for Washington. Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2022 The scheme itself was brazen, with rich parents paying to get their children accepted to selective universities as fake athletes. Arkansas Online, 16 Jan. 2023 But both Kravitz’s and Pattinson’s performances — hers brazen and unapologetic, his constrained and repressed — make clear that their characters are tempted by cynicism, not defined by it. Vulture, 14 Mar. 2022 Theocrats are growing brazen in their attacks on secular Israeliness. Bernard Avishai, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brazen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Verb

Middle English brasen, from Old English bræsen, from bræs brass

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1555, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brazen was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near brazen

Cite this Entry

“Brazen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brazen. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

brazen

1 of 2 adjective
bra·​zen ˈbrāz-ᵊn How to pronounce brazen (audio)
1
: made of brass
2
: sounding harsh and loud like struck brass
3
: not ashamed of or embarrassed by one's bad behavior : impudent
4
: of the color of polished brass
brazenly adverb
brazenness noun

brazen

2 of 2 verb
brazened; brazening ˈbrāz-niŋ How to pronounce brazen (audio)
-ᵊn-iŋ
: to face boldly or defiantly
an enemy who'd rather brazen it out than surrender

More from Merriam-Webster on brazen

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