brash

/bræʃ/

Thân thiện

A brash young man loudly interrupts the speaker at a formal meeting.

Definition

Adjective: 1. Showing a bold, confident, and often rude or tactless lack of respect: Behaving or speaking in a way that is aggressively self-assertive and shows little regard for others' feelings or established norms. 2. (Archaic or specialized) Brittle, easily broken: Used to describe something that is fragile or shatters easily.

Usage and Examples

• Adjective (Primary Meaning - Offensively Bold):

  • His brash comments during the meeting offended several senior colleagues.
  • The company's brash new advertising campaign was criticized for being insensitive.
  • She was young and brash, convinced she knew better than everyone with more experience.

• Adjective (Secondary Meaning - Brittle):

  • (Less common) The brash ice on the pond cracked under the slightest pressure.

Advanced Usage and Nuance

• Connotation: The word "brash" almost always carries a negative judgment. It implies that confidence has crossed into arrogance or rudeness. It suggests a lack of maturity, wisdom, or social grace.
• "Brashness" (noun): The quality of being brash.
  • His success was due more to sheer brashness than careful planning.

Variants and Related Words

• Brashly (adverb): In a brash manner.
  • He brashly interrupted the speaker.
• Brashness (noun): The state or quality of being brash.

Synonyms

• Bold (can be neutral or positive, whereas "brash" is negative)
• Audacious
• Cheeky
• Nervy (informal)
• Impudent
• Presumptuous

Antonyms

• Timid
• Reserved
• Tactful
• Discreet
• Diffident

Idioms and Common Phrases

• Brash young man/woman: A common collocation highlighting the association of brashness with youth and inexperience.
  • He was a brash young man fresh out of business school.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. offensively bold
   • a brash newcomer disputed the age-old rules for admission to the club
   • a nervy thing to say

Từ đồng nghĩa

• cheeky
• nervy