braless

Braless is an informal adjective describing someone who is wearing no brassiere. Formed simply by adding the suffix '-less' to 'bra' (a clipped form of 'brassiere'), it is used chiefly in fashion, media, and everyday speech to describe clothing choices and styles — for example, a dress or shirt worn braless, or a public figure whose braless appearance draws comment. Although the word itself is neutral and purely descriptive, the practice it names has carried cultural weight: going braless became a prominent gesture of bodily autonomy and feminist protest during the women's liberation movement of the late 1960s, and it remains associated with comfort and body confidence in contemporary fashion discourse. The word appears most often in phrases such as 'go braless' and is standard in British and American English alike, though it sits comfortably only in informal or journalistic registers rather than formal prose.

Not wearing a bra; dressed without a brassiere.

Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.

Etymology of braless

Braless is a transparent English formation combining 'bra', a shortening of 'brassiere', with the native suffix '-less', meaning 'without'. The underlying noun 'brassiere' entered English from French in the early twentieth century, ultimately tracing back through French to words for the arm or upper arm, which also give us cognates such as 'brace', 'bracelet', and 'embrace'. As a compound adjective, 'braless' arose naturally in twentieth-century English as discussion of dress norms and women's fashion grew more open.

How braless is actually used

Informal to neutral register, common in fashion and lifestyle writing. The word is descriptive rather than judgmental, though context can carry connotations of body confidence or freedom from convention.

Easily confused with braless

Words and phrases paired with braless

Rhymes with braless