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brassy

/ˈbræsi/
IPA guide

Other forms: brassily; brassier; brassiest

Someone who's brassy is bold and flashy — and maybe even a little rude. That brassy kid in class seems to get all the attention, while their quiet, shy classmates get overlooked.

Use the adjective brassy to mean bold and brash, or to describe something that looks like the metal brass (but not in a good way): "He tried to dye his hair strawberry blonde, but it came out brassy." When something sounds brassy, it resembles a trumpet or trombone, or another brass instrument. The "brazen" meaning comes from a comparison of brass to gold; in the 16th century, brassy meant "strident and artificial."

Definitions of brassy
  1. adjective
    resembling, made of, or covered with an alloy of zinc and copper
  2. adjective
    resembling the sound of a trumpet, tuba, or other similar instrument
    synonyms: brasslike
  3. adjective
    tastelessly showy
    tasteless
    lacking aesthetic or social taste
  4. adjective
    not held back by conventional ideas of behavior
    unashamed
    used of persons or their behavior; feeling no shame
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