Barefacedly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner that boldly flouts conventions or decency, acting without concern for the perceptions of others, and exhibiting a clear lack of shame or inhibition
2. Displaying behavior openly without any attempt to hide or feel guilt in a disrespectful way
3. Acting in a way that clearly disregards rules or norms without any embarrassment or concealment

Etymology: "Barefacedly" is simply "barefaced" with the adverbial ending "-ly" added. The adjective "barefaced" itself is a compound of "bare" and "faced", meaning with the face uncovered or unconcealed, and it came to mean shameless because a face left open to view was seen as showing no attempt to hide one's conduct. The "-ly" ending has a long pedigree. It descends from a Germanic word meaning "body" or "form", which appears in Old English as "-līċe", a suffix that turned adjectives into adverbs. Over the centuries it wore down to the "-ly" we use today, and by Middle English it was the standard way of forming manner adverbs from adjectives. The result is a word that describes doing something openly and without any sense of shame, such as lying or cheating in full view of others.

Synonyms: shamelessly, brazenly, audaciously, boldly, impudently

Antonyms: shamefully, modestly, timidly