barefaced

English

Alternative forms

• bare-faced
• barefast (obsolete)

Etymology

Perhaps an alteration of barefast (compare shamefast); or from bare +‎ faced.

Compary typologically cheeky; Italian sfacciato (< Latin ex- + faciēs); French effronté, Italian sfrontato (< Latin ex- + frōns), Polish czelny (< czoło).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbeə(ɹ)feɪst/

Adjective

barefaced (comparative more barefaced, superlative most barefaced)

1. Undisguisedly offensive and bold; crude.

   Synonyms: brazen, coarse

   • 1680 September 12 (date delivered; Gregorian calendar), Gilbert Burnet, A Sermon Preached before the Right-honourable the Lord-Mayor and Aldermen of the City of London, at Bow-Church, September 2. 1680. being the Anniversary Fast for the Burning of London, London: […] Richard Chiswel, […], published 1680, →OCLC, page 5:

     And they vvere become ſo bare-faced and impudent in their Vices, that good and prudent Men thought fit to keep ſilence in that Time, becauſe it vvas an evil Time.

   • 1904, E. Nesbit, The Phoenix and the Carpet:

     Mrs Biddle actually stamped that booted foot of hers. 'You rude, barefaced child!' she said.

2. Open, undisguised.

   Synonym: bald-faced

   • 1920, Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles:

     It's simply bare-faced fortune hunting; but there you are—she is her own mistress, and she's married him.

3. Unbearded (not having a beard or other facial hair).

   Synonym: clean-shaven

4. Unmasked (not wearing a mask) or not wearing a face covering.

   Synonym: bareface

5. Not wearing makeup on the face.

Derived terms

• barefaced liar
• barefaced lie
• barefacedly
• barefacedness

Translations

shameless

Bulgarian: безочлив (bg) (bezočliv) Finnish: julkea (fi), röyhkeä (fi) Japanese: 白々しい (ja) (shirajirashii) Plautdietsch: onveschämt Polish: bezczelny (pl) Portuguese: descarado (pt) Spanish: descarado (es), caradura (es), desvergonzado (es)

References

• “barefaced”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.