nonchalant

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UK/ˈnɒn.ʃəl.ənt/US/ˌnɑn.ʃəˈlɑnt/

adjective

Casually calm and relaxed.

“He is far too nonchalant about such a serious matter.”

UncommonScrabble 15

Meanings

adjectivenonchalant (comparative more nonchalant, superlative most nonchalant)

comparative more nonchalant · superlative most nonchalant

  1. Casually calm and relaxed.

    We handled the whole frenetic situation with a nonchalant attitude.

    3 more examples

    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

    […] 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

    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

    Synonyms: carefree

  2. Indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached.

    He is far too nonchalant about such a serious matter.

    Synonyms: blasé

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveCasually calm and relaxed.

Similar

adjectiveIndifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivemarked by blithe unconcern

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Frenchnonchaloir“to be unconcerned”
  2. Frenchnonchalant
  3. Englishnonchalant

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”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic غَيْر مُكْتَرِث, لَامُبَالٍ
  • غَيْر مُكْتَرِث (ḡayr muktariṯ)indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
  • لَامُبَالٍ (lāmubālin)indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
  • غَيْر مُبَالٍ (ḡayr mubālin)indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Bulgarian безгрижен, безстрастен
  • безгрижен (bezgrižen)casually calm and relaxed
  • безстрастен (bezstrasten)indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
  • равнодушен (ravnodušen)indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Catalan despreocupat, indiferent
  • despreocupatcasually calm and relaxed
  • indiferentindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
  • desmenjatindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Czech nonšalantní, nenucený
  • nonšalantnícasually calm and relaxed
  • nenucenýcasually calm and relaxed
  • lhostejnýindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Danish nonchalant, skødesløs
  • nonchalantcasually calm and relaxed
  • skødesløscasually calm and relaxed
  • ligegyldigcasually calm and relaxed
  • ligegladindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
  • indifferentindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
  • uinteresseretindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Dutch nonchalant
  • nonchalantcasually calm and relaxed
Esperanto facilanima
  • facilanimacasually calm and relaxed
Finnish huoleton, välinpitämätön
  • huoletoncasually calm and relaxed
  • välinpitämätönindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
  • piittaamatonindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
French décontracté, désinvolte
  • décontractécasually calm and relaxed
  • désinvolteindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
German nonchalant, lässig
  • nonchalantcasually calm and relaxed
  • lässigcasually calm and relaxed
  • nonchalantindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
  • gleichgültigindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Hungarian fesztelen, lezser
  • fesztelencasually calm and relaxed
  • lezsercasually calm and relaxed
  • nemtörődömindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
  • közömbösindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
  • nonsalantindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Irish neamhchúiseach, neamhchorrbhuaiseach
  • neamhchúiseachcasually calm and relaxed
  • neamhchorrbhuaiseachcasually calm and relaxed
  • fuarbhruiteindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Persian بیاعتنا
  • بیاعتنا (bi-e'tenâ)indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Polish swobodny, wyluzowany
  • swobodnycasually calm and relaxed
  • wyluzowanycasually calm and relaxed
  • luzackicasually calm and relaxed
  • nonszalanckiindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Portuguese descontraído, indiferente
  • descontraídocasually calm and relaxed
  • indiferenteindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Russian невозмути́мый, беспе́чный
  • невозмути́мый (nevozmutímyj)casually calm and relaxed
  • беспе́чный (bespéčnyj)casually calm and relaxed
  • небре́жный (nebréžnyj)casually calm and relaxed
  • равноду́шный (ravnodúšnyj)indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
  • безразли́чный (bezrazlíčnyj)indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
  • небре́жный (nebréžnyj)indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Scottish Gaelic gun chùram, gun chùram
  • gun chùramcasually calm and relaxed
  • gun chùramindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Spanish como las huevas (si), indolente
  • como las huevas (si)indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
  • indolenteindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Swedish nonchalant
  • nonchalantindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Turkish keyifli, keyfi yerinde
  • keyiflicasually calm and relaxed
  • keyfi yerindecasually calm and relaxed
  • pişkin insanindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
  • ilgisizindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
  • vurdumduymazindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
  • umursamazindifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Ukrainian безтурбо́тний, байду́жий
  • безтурбо́тний (bezturbótnyj)casually calm and relaxed
  • байду́жий (bajdúžyj)indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
Cite this entry
APA

nonchalant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nonchalant

MLA

“nonchalant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nonchalant. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nonchalant,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nonchalant.

Source: nonchalant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.