brash

brash — adjective

1. behaving in a very self-assured way that feels rude to other people.

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

behaving in a very self-assured way that feels rude to other people.

Example

The brash salesman interrupted Mei before she finished her question.

brash + person showing rude confidence

At dinner, Noa sounded brash when she mocked her uncle's old phone.

linking verb: sound brash

Common collocations
  • brash remark
  • brash question
  • brash manner
  • brash young trader
Synonyms
  • brazen

    stronger and often suggests no shame at all

  • cheeky

    more informal and can sound playful in some contexts

  • impudent

    more formal and strongly critical

Antonyms
  • respectful

    showing proper politeness toward others

  • modest

    not pushing yourself forward too much

Grammar Patterns

be brash enough to + verb

Usage Note

Often used for speech or behaviour toward other people, especially when the speaker ignores normal respect. Distinguish from 'confident', which can be positive, and from adjective/2 TOO SHOWY, which only describes appearance.

Common Mistakes

Our new teacher is brash because she speaks clearly.
Our new teacher is confident because she speaks clearly.
'brash' is negative and suggests too little respect, not simple self-confidence.

2. so bright and showy that the colours or style seem unattractive.

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

so bright and showy that the colours or style seem unattractive.

Example

Wen wore a brash pink jacket that flashed under the market lights.

brash + clothing item

The shop window looked brash with gold shoes and orange hats.

look brash with + colours or items

Common collocations
  • brash jacket
  • brash tie
  • brash colors
  • brash poster
Synonyms
  • gaudy

    stresses bad taste in bright decoration

  • flashy

    suggests trying too hard to attract attention

  • loud

    informal word often used for clothes with very strong colours

Antonyms
  • tasteful

    attractive in a controlled and pleasing way

  • plain

    simple and not visually strong

Usage Note

Mostly used for clothes, colours, or design choices that feel too strong rather than attractive. More negative than 'bright' or 'colorful', which do not automatically suggest bad taste.

Common Mistakes

The room looked brash because it was full of light.
The room looked bright because it was full of light.
this sense is about colours or style that seem too strong, not about having a lot of light.

Word family

  • brashly
    adverbC2
  • brashness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Brash' is negative: it describes confidence that comes out too strongly and feels rude. 'Confident' is the neutral or positive everyday word for believing in yourself, so it does not suggest bad manners. 'Brazen' is stronger than 'brash' and often suggests open shamelessness. 'Cheeky' is more informal and can sound light or playful, especially in British English, though it can still be rude. 'Impudent' is formal and sharply critical, often used in careful writing. So a student who speaks firmly in class may be confident, a guest who interrupts everyone may be brash, and a thief smiling at the judge would sound brazen. You might say, 'Theo gave a brash answer,' but 'The child gave a cheeky grin.'

brash ↗confident ↗brazencheeky ↗impudent

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • seem brash

Etymology

The origin of English 'brash' is uncertain. Older records show the word with other meanings, and later English settled on the modern ideas of rude overconfidence and harshly showy appearance. Because the history is unclear, it is safer to treat the word as being of unknown origin than to connect it firmly to one earlier language.