adjective
-
unconcealed or shameless
a barefaced lie
-
with the face uncovered or shaven
Other Word Forms
- barefacedly adverb
- barefacedness noun
Etymology
Origin of barefaced
Explanation
If masked means hidden, barefaced means unconcealed. If you get caught speeding and reach into your wallet and hand the officer $20, that’s a barefaced attempt at a bribe. Barefaced — or as it's sometimes known, bald-faced — behavior is always bold and sometimes shameless. Nonchalantly telling a security guard at the jewelry store that you "plain forgot" you'd slipped the necklace into your pocket is a barefaced lie and shameless to boot. A reporter's barefaced questioning of a mayor found to be stealing from city treasury carries no shame, on the other hand — at least not for the reporter.
Vocabulary lists containing barefaced
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act III
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They’d been so proud to march barefaced, and now the internet at large was doxing them.
From Slate • Feb. 10, 2025
Mr Khan's spokesperson previously said the circulated leaflets "peddle a barefaced lie".
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2024
For her self-pitying act, Ellis drew widespread disdain for her "crocodile tears" and "barefaced lies that could give a coyote gastric distress."
From Salon • Oct. 26, 2023
That’s the job of our music presently: Can we be as barefaced, as defiant, as vulnerable as we used to be?
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2023
“You’ve said that three times now, and each time you’ve told a barefaced lie.”
From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
