brazen
braz·en/ˈbɹeɪ̯zən/adjective, verb
brazen is spelled B-R-A-Z-E-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables (braz·en). It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, brazen means “Brass-like in appearance or character; bright, ruddy, hard” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in brazen?
| Letters | 6: B-R-A-Z-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: braz·en |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 25,367th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is brazen?
Brazen appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce brazen?
- /ˈbɹeɪ̯zən/
- [ˈbɹeɪzn̩]
- Australia /ˈbɹæ̝ɪ̯zən/
Brazen has 2 syllables, split braz·en in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-brazen.opus, En-us-brazen.ogg, En-au-brazen.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of brazen
- more brazen comparative
- brazener comparative
- most brazen superlative
- brazenest superlative
- brasen
- brazens present, singular, he/she/it
- brazening participle, present
- brazened participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does brazen mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
archaicMade of brass.
Brazen or rather copper swords seem to have been next introduced; these in process of time, workmen learned to harden by the addition of some other metal or mineral, which rendered them almost equal in temper to iron.
- 2
Brass-like in appearance or character; bright, ruddy, hard.
- 3
Sounding harsh and loud, like brass cymbals or brass instruments.
And now the Trumpets terribly from far, / With rattling Clangor, rouze the sleepy War. / The Souldiers Shouts succeed the Brazen Sounds, / And Heav'n, from Pole to Pole, the Noise rebounds.
- 4
archaicExtremely strong; impenetrable; resolute.
- 5
Shameless or impudent; shocking or audacious; brash.
She was brazen enough to deny stealing the handbag even though she was caught on camera doing so.
verb
- 1
To turn a brass color.
- 2
Generally followed by out or through: to carry through in a brazen manner; to act boldly despite embarrassment, risk, etc.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Brazen in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cuivreux , aigu , dur comme de la pierre, impénétrable , brutal, éhonté |
| German | messingen, aus Messing, Messing- , metallisch, metallen, blechern |
| Portuguese | descarado |
| Spanish | descarado |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does brazen come from?
From Middle English brasen, from Old English bræsen (“brazen, of brass”); equivalent to brass + -en (compare golden, wooden, etc.). The word originally meant “of brass”; the figurative verb sense (as in brazen it out (“face impudently”)) dates from the 1550s (perhaps evoking the sense “face like brass, unmoving and not showing shame”), and the adjective sense “impudent” from the 1570s. Compare brass neck, bold as brass.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).