Dictionary

brash en · ADJ · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˈbɹæʃ/
• (Southern-England) audio
• [ˈbɹʷæʃ]

Etymology

Uncertain. Perhaps from Scots brash, brasch (“a violent onset; an attack or assault”). Perhaps also related to Dutch bars (“stern; strict”), German barsch (“harsh; unfriendly”), Danish barsk (“harsh; rough; tough”), Swedish barsk (“harsh; impetuous”).

Meanings

1. (of people or behaviour) Overly bold or self-assertive to the point of being insensitive, tactless or impudent; shameless.
   • Trouble with Silzer is, he’s too brash—shoots off his mouth too much—likes to hear himself talk. 1925, Sinclair Lewis, chapter 17, in Arrowsmith:
   • a brash young businessman; a brash tabloid; a brash sense of humour
   • The American’s brash unconcern for nuance indicates a young and vigorous country, the Briton’s clipped speech an ancient, proverbial reserve. 1958, Peter De Vries, chapter 14, in Mackerel Plaza, Penguin, published 1986, page 209:
   • Mrs. Mayfield looked away, and the girl stricken with remorse, hastened to her and said: “There, I have been too brash, haven’t I? You must forgive me for I didn’t intend to be brash.” “Brash, my dear? What do you mean by that?” She laughed. “Why, I thought everybody know’d what brash meant. Well, it’s er—too quick to say somethin’ you oughtn’t to say.” 1902, Opie Read, The Starbucks, Chicago: Laird & Lee, Chapter, page 210:
   • Edusco liked him, he could tell; he imagined Edusco talking about him in a gathering of other self-made Igbo men, men who were brash and striving, who juggled huge businesses and supported vast extended families. 2013, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, chapter 54, in Americanah, New York: Knopf:
2. (of actions) Overly bold, impetuous or rash.
   • Now, Mr. Reed, you’ve committed nothing but a brash act of bad taste by bypassing the standard channels. 1960 April, George O. Smith, “The Troublemakers”, in Galaxy Science Fiction, volume 18, number 4, page 156:
   • […] just because you’re a little hot under the collar, don’t do anything brash, for fear you may regret it afterward. 1905, Andy Adams, chapter 2, in The Outlet, Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, page 22:
3. (of things) Bold, bright or showy, often in a tasteless way.
   • 1963, Ian Fleming, Thrilling Cities, London: Jonathan Cape, Chapter 1, “Hong Kong,” There are scores of brash and noisy bars along Lockhart Street and in Wanchai and North Point (on the island) and throughout the back lanes of Kowloon […]
   • The driveway is filled with vehicles parked bumper to bumper and the house is lit up like I’ve never seen it before, brash yellow light streaming from every window on every floor, and the tinny, nasal sound of gramophone jazz trumpeting inside. 1996, Guy Vanderhaeghe, chapter 24, in The Englishman’s Boy, New York: Picador, published 1998, page 243:
   • Sadly, by the 1970s the arcade had gone downmarket with brash shop fronts and cheap shops, some of doubtful reputation. 2021 December 15, Robin Leleux, “Awards honour the best restoration projects: The Great Western Railway Craft Skills Award: Victoria Arcade”, in RAIL, number 946, page 59:
   • 2001, Walt Dohrn et al. “Artist Unknown”, SpongeBob SquarePants, season 2, episode 18b, Nickelodeon Squidward: How about this one? I call it, Bold and Brash. Art Curator: More like, belongs in the trash!
   • a brash perfume
   • brash colours

Forms

Deriveds

unbrash · brashly · brashness · brashy

Synonyms

brazen · undiplomatic · snazzy · chichi · brassy · trinkety · naff · kitschy · garish · pretentious · blatant · pizazzy · froufrou · flaunting · chintzy · showy · campy · flashy · flashy · gay · raffish · tacky · bedizened · crass · brash · loud · tawdry · catchpenny · glaring · obtrusive · cocky · pimped out · hideous · tinselly · gross · garish · splashy · flossy · foolhardy · schlocky · meretricious · splendiferous · audacious · kitsch · gussied up · ostentatious · vain · tasteless · loud · blingish · gaudy · unbecoming · corny · ritzy · reckless · zesty · florid · too much · untasteful · crude · gauche · whorish

Translations (38)

bg безразсъден (overly bold or self-assertive) · ro tupeist (overly bold or self-assertive) · gl procaz (overly bold or self-assertive) · fr culotté (overly bold or self-assertive) · de schrill (bold, bright or showy) · pt procaz (overly bold or self-assertive) · pl zuchwały (overly bold or self-assertive) · de übermütig (impetuous or rash) · la procax (overly bold or self-assertive) · de grell (bold, bright or showy) · fr m'as-tu-vu (overly bold or self-assertive) · de schnodderig (overly bold or self-assertive) · mk др́зок (overly bold or self-assertive) · fi röyhkeä (overly bold or self-assertive) · pdt schwiendriest (overly bold or self-assertive) · ro impertinent (overly bold or self-assertive) · de frech (overly bold or self-assertive) · fr tape-à-l'œil (bold, bright or showy) · de keck (overly bold or self-assertive) · de knallig (bold, bright or showy) · cs unáhlený (impetuous or rash) · fr criard (bold, bright or showy) · gl arrogante (overly bold or self-assertive) · ro obraznic (overly bold or self-assertive) · cs arogantní (overly bold or self-assertive) · fa گستاخ (overly bold or self-assertive) · de forsch (overly bold or self-assertive) · cs suverénní (overly bold or self-assertive) · de nassforsch (impetuous or rash) · de dreist (overly bold or self-assertive) · fr suffisant (overly bold or self-assertive) · cs nepromyšlený (impetuous or rash) · bg стремителен (impetuous or rash) · es procaz (overly bold or self-assertive) · fr culotté (impetuous or rash) · mk непро́мислен (impetuous or rash) · cs drzý (overly bold or self-assertive) · cs neomalený (overly bold or self-assertive)

brash en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˈbɹæʃ/
• (Southern-England) audio
• [ˈbɹʷæʃ]

Etymology

Uncertain. Perhaps from Scots brash, brasch (“a violent onset; an attack or assault”). Perhaps also related to Dutch bars (“stern; strict”), German barsch (“harsh; unfriendly”), Danish barsk (“harsh; rough; tough”), Swedish barsk (“harsh; impetuous”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) A rash or eruption; a sudden or transient fit of sickness.
2. (countable, uncountable) A sudden burst of rain.
3. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) An attack or assault.

Forms

Deriveds

water brash · weaning brash

brash en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˈbɹæʃ/
• (Southern-England) audio
• [ˈbɹʷæʃ]

Etymology

Uncertain. Perhaps from Scots brash, brasch (“a violent onset; an attack or assault”). Perhaps also related to Dutch bars (“stern; strict”), German barsch (“harsh; unfriendly”), Danish barsk (“harsh; rough; tough”), Swedish barsk (“harsh; impetuous”).

Meanings

1. (obsolete, transitive) To disturb.

Forms

brash en · ADJ · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˈbɹæʃ/
• (Southern-England) audio
• [ˈbɹʷæʃ]

Etymology

Compare American English bresk, brusk (“fragile, brittle”).

Meanings

1. (US, colloquial, dated) Brittle (said e.g. of wood or vegetables).
   • Hickory axles […] all cut from tough butt logs. Brash timber is excluded. 1886, The Lumberman's Hand Book, page 24:
   • […] brash timber, which is liable to snap; […] 2000, Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand, Précis of the Lectures on Architecture (page 94)
   • Brash wood, when tested in bending, breaks with a short, sharp fracture instead of developing a splintering failure and absorbs a comparatively small amount of work between the elastic limit and final failure 1919, Forest Products Laboratory, Wood in Aircraft Construction:

Forms

brash en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˈbɹæʃ/
• (Southern-England) audio
• [ˈbɹʷæʃ]

Etymology

Compare American English bresk, brusk (“fragile, brittle”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) Leaf litter of small leaves and little twigs as found under a hedge.
2. (countable, uncountable) Broken and angular rock fragments underlying alluvial deposits.
   • Alluvium differs from the rubble or brash, just described, as being composed of sand and gravel, more or less rolled 1839, Sir Charles Lyell, Elements of Geology:
3. (countable, uncountable) Broken fragments of ice.
   • The sea dashed in an angry surf over its inclined sides, rattling the icy fragments or “brash” against its irregular surface 1853, Elisha Kent Kane, The U. S. Grinnell Expedition in Search of Sir John Franklin:

Forms

Deriveds

stonebrash · stone brash · brash ice

Translations (1)

cs (kamenná) suť (rock fragments)