Ariana Grande Flaunts New Shorter Hairdo During Dinner with Bro Frankie

Ariana Grande is putting on a brave face, somehow finding a way to soldier on after the huge upheaval in her life -- the loss of her beloved ... ponytail.

AG proudly rocked her new shorter 'do Tuesday night in L.A. while out for sushi dinner with her big bro, Frankie. Her fans were shocked last week when Ariana posted a pic revealing she'd chopped her famously long locks -- but this is the first time we've seen the cut in public.

Honestly, it doesn't look all that short. Definitely shortER, but looks like there's still enough to make a ponytail if she wanted.

The big question now ... which style will we see when her highly-anticipated music video for "Thank U, Next" comes out. As we first reported, it's gonna drop on Friday.