brazen

/ˈbreɪzən/

/ˈbreɪzən/

Other forms: brazened; brazening; brazens

With brazen disregard for the sign that said "No Cellphones," the woman took a long call in the dentist's waiting room, irritating the other patients. Brazen describes something shocking or something that's done shamelessly.

The Middle English word was brasen, "made of brass," from Old English bræs, "brass." In its literal sense, this word can mean "made of or resembling brass," as in a brazen drinking cup from a medieval castle. It can also mean overly or disrespectfully bold. A near synonym of brazen is our English word brassy, which has the additional meaning of being loud and showy.

Definitions of brazen

1. adjective

   not held back by conventional ideas of behavior
   “brazen arrogance”

   synonyms: audacious, bald-faced, barefaced, bodacious, brassy, brazen-faced, insolent

   unashamed

   used of persons or their behavior; feeling no shame
2. verb

   face with defiance or impudence
   “brazen it out”

   type of:

   dare, defy

   challenge
3. adjective

   made of or resembling brass (as in color or hardness)