Word of the Day

: January 10, 2014

nonchalant

adjective nahn-shuh-LAHNT

What It Means

: having an air of easy unconcern or indifference

nonchalant in Context

The most experienced public speakers are able to address audiences with a nonchalant ease.

"When an accomplice accidentally kills a man, the gang's first casualty, it's Bonnie who is nonchalant." - From a television review on Slate.com by Willa Paskin, December 6, 2013

Did You Know?

Since "nonchalant" ultimately comes from words meaning "not" and "be warm," it's no surprise that the word is all about keeping one's cool. The French word "nonchalant," which English speakers borrowed around 1730, has essentially the same meaning as our word. It was derived in Old French from the verb "nonchaloir" ("to disregard") and can be traced back to Latin "non" ("not") and "calēre," meaning "to be warm." "Unconcerned" is one synonym of "nonchalant," along with "casual," "complacent," and "insouciant."