Definition of BRAZEN (original) (raw)

1

: made of brass

drinking from brazen cups

2

a

: sounding harsh and loud like struck brass

the horrible brazen voice of the fire bell—Elmer Davis

b

: of the color of polished brass

3

: marked by shameless or disrespectful boldness

a brazen disregard for the rules

transitive verb

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

Synonyms

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is set to appear Thursday at an extradition hearing in Pennsylvania after Manhattan prosecutors filed a slew of new charges related to the brazen attack. —Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024 Chin Jinping, 61, could face anywhere between no prison time and five years behind bars as well as the possibility of losing his U.S. citizenship after admitting his role in the brazen Chinese spying scheme. —John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 Dec. 2024 And now, the first project about the brazen, broad daylight killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is on the way. —Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 16 Dec. 2024 Investigators have been probing what may have motivated the suspect in the brazen early morning killing on December 4 – one that has garnered sympathy and online fandom partly because of people’s frustrations with the health insurance industry. —Kara Scannell, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for brazen

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 31 Dec. 2024.

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on brazen

Last Updated: 21 Dec 2024 - Updated example sentences

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Merriam-Webster unabridged