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brash

UK/ˈbɹæʃ/US/ˈbɹæʃ/
adjectiveC1Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #11,120 of 15,258neutral

Brash means loud and confident in a way that grates. A brash young man, brash colours, brash and cocky.

It is confidence without the manners, which is why it sits between bold and rude and can be said almost affectionately of the young. Of colours and design it means garish. Note that the origin of the word is unknown, though a Scots word meaning a sudden onset may be behind it.

Definitions of brash

  1. 1adjectivebrashLoud and confident in a way that grates.C1

    “The brash young salesman talked loudly and interrupted everyone at the meeting.”

    synonyms: cocky, brazen

brash is a quality of loud confidence.

Where it comes from

The origin of brash is unknown. A Scots word meaning a violent onset may be related.

  1. Scots

    brash

  2. English, today

    brash

Built from

  • brasch · Scots — a violent onset; an attack or assault

unknown. 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”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Sharper Adjectives

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