nonchalant en · ADJ
Pronunciation
Etymology
Borrowed from French nonchalant, from Old French nonchaloir (“to be unconcerned”), from non- (“not”) + chaloir (“to have concern for”), from Latin non (“not”) + calēre (“to be warm”).
Meanings
-
Casually calm and relaxed.
We handled the whole frenetic situation with a nonchalant attitude.
On the other hand, to arrive after dusk, when the multitude of garish little public-houses are lit up, giving glimpses of crowded jostling bars and taprooms, is an introduction to a fine city well calculated to affect even the most nonchalant.
1951 October, R. S. McNaught, “Lines of Approach”, in Railway Magazine, page 703:Undaunted by the occasion, Ruthe went on to become the first 15-year-old to run a sub-four-minute mile, even managing a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders as he crossed the finish line.
2025 March 29, George Ramsay and Patrick Snell, “Aged 15, New Zealander Sam Ruthe has already run a four-minute mile. He would ‘love to try and qualify’ for the 2028 Olympics”, in CNN:[…] The Mexican government's response to the American bombing was admirably laid back. General Enrique Diaz Gonzales and Consul General Raul Michel met with United States officials, who issued apologies and an invitation to come to "the next rocket shoot" at White Sands. The Mexican citizenry was similarly nonchalant. "Bomb Blast Fails to Halt Spring Fiesta," said the El Paso Times headline, noting that "many thought the explosion was a cannon fired for the opening of the fiesta."
2010, Mary Roach, “You Go First: The Alarming Prospect of Life Without Gravity”, in Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, W. W. Norton & Company, →ISBN, page 90:
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Indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached.
He is far too nonchalant about such a serious matter.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most nonchalant | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more nonchalant | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
chalant · attentive · concerned · careful
Deriveds
nonchalantly · chalant · nonchalantism · nonchalantness
Relateds
Synonyms
blasé (indifferent) · cool · carefree · easygoing · mellow · unconcerned · carefree (casually calm)
Translations (68)
ca despreocupat (casually calm and relaxed) · cs nenucený (casually calm and relaxed) · tr keyifli (casually calm and relaxed) · ga neamhchorrbhuaiseach (casually calm and relaxed) · ru безразли́чный (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · ru беспе́чный (casually calm and relaxed) · hy անտարբեր (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · cs nonšalantní (casually calm and relaxed) · pl swobodny (casually calm and relaxed) · az vecsiz (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · fi huoleton (casually calm and relaxed) · fi välinpitämätön (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · gl indiferente (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · bg безстрастен (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · da uinteresseret (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · fr désinvolte (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · eo facilanima (casually calm and relaxed) · hu lezser (casually calm and relaxed) · tr umursamaz (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · uk безтурбо́тний (casually calm and relaxed) · tr ilgisiz (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · fr décontracté (casually calm and relaxed) · gd gun chùram (casually calm and relaxed) · ru равноду́шный (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · fa بیاعتنا (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · de gleichgültig (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · tr pişkin insan (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · es indolente (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · ru невозмути́мый (casually calm and relaxed) · da skødesløs (casually calm and relaxed) · ar غَيْر مُبَالٍ (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · bg безгрижен (casually calm and relaxed) · hu nemtörődöm (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · da ligegyldig (casually calm and relaxed) · hu közömbös (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · ru небре́жный (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · es como las huevas (si) (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · ca indiferent (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · da ligeglad (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · uk байду́жий (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · pt indiferente (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · pl luzacki (casually calm and relaxed) · ar غَيْر مُكْتَرِث (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · de lässig (casually calm and relaxed) · bg равнодушен (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · ar لَامُبَالٍ (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · gd gun chùram (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · gl despreocupado (casually calm and relaxed) · de nonchalant (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · da nonchalant (casually calm and relaxed) · ga fuarbhruite (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · hu fesztelen (casually calm and relaxed) · hy անհոգ (casually calm and relaxed) · pl nonszalancki (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · ca desmenjat (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · nl nonchalant (casually calm and relaxed) · ga neamhchúiseach (casually calm and relaxed) · hu nonsalant (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · sv nonchalant (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · fi piittaamaton (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · pl wyluzowany (casually calm and relaxed) · tr vurdumduymaz (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · pt descontraído (casually calm and relaxed) · da indifferent (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached) · de nonchalant (casually calm and relaxed) · tr keyfi yerinde (casually calm and relaxed) · ru небре́жный (casually calm and relaxed) · cs lhostejný (indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached)