Brash

//bɹæʃ// adj, name, noun, verb, slang

adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A rash or eruption; a sudden or transient fit of sickness. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    Leaf litter of small leaves and little twigs as found under a hedge. countable, uncountable
  3. 3
    A sudden burst of rain. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    Broken and angular rock fragments underlying alluvial deposits. countable, uncountable

    "Alluvium differs from the rubble or brash, just described, as being composed of sand and gravel, more or less rolled"

  5. 5
    An attack or assault. countable, obsolete, uncountable
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  1. 6
    Broken fragments of ice. countable, uncountable

    "The sea dashed in an angry surf over its inclined sides, rattling the icy fragments or “brash” against its irregular surface"

Verb
  1. 1
    To disturb. obsolete, transitive
Adjective
  1. 1
    Overly bold or self-assertive to the point of being insensitive, tactless or impudent; shameless.

    "a brash young businessman; a brash tabloid; a brash sense of humour"

  2. 2
    Brittle (said e.g. of wood or vegetables). US, colloquial, dated

    "Hickory axles […] all cut from tough butt logs. Brash timber is excluded."

  3. 3
    Overly bold, impetuous or rash.

    "[…] just because you’re a little hot under the collar, don’t do anything brash, for fear you may regret it afterward."

  4. 4
    Bold, bright or showy, often in a tasteless way.

    "brash colours"

Adjective
  1. 1
    offensively bold wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.

Synonyms

All synonyms
audaciouscheekyabruptadventurousaggressivearrogant

Example

More examples

"Hector's uncommonly brash and outspoken today. He's usually deathly quiet."

Etymology

Etymology 1

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”).

Etymology 2

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

Etymology 3

Two main origins: * Scottish surname; probably from brash, a nickname for an impetuous person. * Americanized spelling of German Braasch.

Related phrases

brash icestone brashwater brashweaning brashself assertive

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.