Word
brazen
US/ˈbɹeɪzən/
UK/bɹˈeɪzən/
Definitions
02made of brass
adj. made of the metal brass.
adj. composed of or pertaining to brass; often used in historical or poetic contexts.
“The museum displayed several brazen statues from the ancient city.”
“The cathedral's brazen gates stood as a testament to the metallurgical skill of the medieval craftsmen.”
Archaic · Literary
Synonyms
03harsh sound
adj. sounding loud and harsh, like metal instruments hitting each other.
adj. having a loud, resonant, and harsh quality reminiscent of brass instruments.
“A brazen clang echoed through the hall as the shield hit the floor.”
“The brazen notes of the trumpets announced the arrival of the procession, cutting through the chatter of the crowd.”
Literary
Real-World Examples
“The prints by the French master were taken in São Paulo last year in a brazen daylight heist.” “But musicals are unique in their brazen unreality.” Etymology
From Middle English brasen, from Old English bræsen (“brazen, of brass”); equivalent to brass + -en (compare golden, wooden, etc.). The word originally meant “of brass”; the figurative verb sense (as in brazen it out (“face impudently”)) dates from the 1550s (perhaps evoking the sense “face like brass, unmoving and not showing shame”), and the adjective sense “impudent” from the 1570s. Compare brass neck, bold as brass.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Idioms
brazen out — To face up to or confront (one's own misconduct or deceit) without shame.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/brazen