baldfaced
baldfaced Lexical Profile
baldfaced Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Shameless, brazen, and showing no effort to conceal dishonesty or wrongdoing (especially of a lie or falsehood).
"The witness was caught telling a baldfaced lie under oath during the cross-examination."
Having white markings or a large white blaze on the face (of a horse, cow, or other animal).
"The rancher rode a sturdy baldfaced mare across the open pasture."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Baldfaced" (often hyphenated as "bald-faced") is frequently used interchangeably with "barefaced" and "boldfaced" in the phrase "baldfaced lie"; while all three are accepted in modern English, "barefaced" is the oldest form and "baldfaced" is especially common in North American usage.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the 17th century from "bald" (originally meaning having a white patch or blaze, aswell as bare) and "faced", first describing animals with white faces before shifting to mean undisguised or shameless by association with "barefaced".
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.