Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Shameless and without any attempt to conceal wrongdoing: Describes behavior, lies, or actions that are openly and blatantly improper, showing no sense of shame or effort to hide.
   • (Archaic) Having the face uncovered or beardless: This older meaning refers literally to having no covering on the face or lacking a beard.

Usage and Examples

• Primary Meaning (Shameless):

  • He told a barefaced lie right in front of everyone. (He told a completely shameless and obvious lie.)
  • It was barefaced hypocrisy for the corrupt official to lecture on ethics. (The official's hypocrisy was blatant and audacious.)
  • The company's barefaced attempt to avoid paying taxes angered the public. (The attempt was openly dishonest and without shame.)

• Archaic Meaning (Uncovered Face):

  • The barefaced knight removed his helmet. (The knight showed his uncovered face.)
  • (This usage is now rare and mostly found in historical texts.)

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• "Barefaced" is almost always used to express strong disapproval or condemnation. It intensifies the negative quality of the noun it modifies (e.g., lie, cheek, impudence).
• It often implies that the action is not only wrong but is performed with a defiant or arrogant lack of concealment.
• Common collocations include: barefaced lie, barefaced cheek, barefaced impudence, barefaced hypocrisy.

Variants and Related Words

• Bald-faced (adj): A near-identical synonym, especially for "bald-faced lie." (Usage note: Some consider "barefaced" more common in British English and "bald-faced" in American English, but both are widely understood.)
• Brazen (adj): Similar in meaning, emphasizing defiant and unashamed boldness. (e.g., ).
• Shameless (adj): Lacking shame, but not necessarily implying the same open, unconcealed quality as "barefaced."

Synonyms

• Blatant: Completely obvious and offensive.
• Audacious: Showing a willingness to take bold risks, often with a negative connotation of disrespect.
• Unabashed: Not embarrassed or ashamed.
• Flagrant: Shockingly noticeable or evident, typically for being bad.

Antonyms

• Shamefaced: Showing shame or embarrassment.
• Sneaky: Acting in a secretive and deceitful way.
• Discreet: Careful and prudent to avoid causing offense or attracting attention.
• Concealed: Kept hidden.

Idioms and Fixed Phrases

• A barefaced lie: The most common idiom. A lie that is told openly, with no attempt to make it believable or hide it.
  • Claiming he was at work when he was seen at the beach was a barefaced lie.
• Barefaced cheek/nerve/impudence: Extreme and shameless rudeness or disrespect.
  • He had the barefaced cheek to ask for a promotion after missing all his deadlines.

Adjective

1. unrestrained by convention or propriety
   • an audacious trick to pull
   • a barefaced hypocrite
   • the most bodacious display of tourism this side of Anaheim- Los Angeles Times
   • bald-faced lies
   • brazen arrogance
   • the modern world with its quick material successes and insolent belief in the boundless possibilities of progress- Bertrand Russell
2. with no effort to conceal
   • a barefaced lie