nonchalant

adjective

non·​cha·​lant ˌnän-shə-ˈlänt 

ˈnän-shə-ˌlänt,

-lənt

: having an air of easy unconcern or indifference

Frequently Asked Questions

Is chalant the opposite of nonchalant?

There is no word chalant in English. Nonchalant comes from an Old French word nonchaloir, meaning "to disregard." That word comes from non-, meaning "not," + chaloir, meaning "to concern." If you want a word that means the opposite of nonchalant, both concerned and interested can do the job.

Is nonchalant a bad or negative thing?

Nonchalant can be either negative or positive. The word describes someone who is relaxed and calm in a way that shows that they do not care or are not worried about something. If someone is nonchalant about another person's pain or trouble, the word has a definite negative connotation. But if someone successfully undertaking a difficult task is described as nonchalant, their calmness and relaxed manner can be admirable. If they fail in that task, however, the fact that they were nonchalant will likely be a criticism and explanation for their failure.

What does it mean when someone is nonchalant?

Someone who is nonchalant is relaxed and calm, either because they do not care about something or because they are not worried about something.

Synonyms

• apathetic
• casual
• complacent
• disinterested
• incurious
• indifferent
• insensible
• insouciant
• perfunctory
• pococurante
• unconcerned
• uncurious
• uninterested

Choose the Right Synonym for nonchalant

cool, composed, collected, unruffled, imperturbable, nonchalant mean free from agitation or excitement.

cool may imply calmness, deliberateness, or dispassionateness.

kept a cool head

composed implies freedom from agitation as a result of self-discipline or a sedate disposition.

the composed pianist gave a flawless concert

collected implies a concentration of mind that eliminates distractions especially in moments of crisis.

the nurse stayed calm and collected

unruffled suggests apparent serenity and poise in the face of setbacks or in the midst of excitement.

harried but unruffled

imperturbable implies coolness or assurance even under severe provocation.

the speaker remained imperturbable despite the heckling

nonchalant stresses an easy coolness of manner or casualness that suggests indifference or unconcern.

a nonchalant driver

Examples of nonchalant in a Sentence

In those stories, we already find the qualities the world would come to know as "Kafkaesque": the nonchalant intrusion of the bizarre and horrible into everyday life, the subjection of ordinary people to an inscrutable fate. —Adam Kirsch, New York Times Book Review, 4 Jan. 2009

… watch his iron-backed posture as he rides a horse and listen to the nonchalant way in which, not barking but speaking he says "Fire" to the line of infantry, like someone asking for a light. —John Updike, New Yorker, 30 Sept. 2002

He and Anita (and an ancient, nonchalant Lhasa apso … ) live in a gated community, surrounded by high, vine-covered walls, redolent of Wrigley, that embrace a golf club and an attractive thicket of large houses … —Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated, 19 Mar. 2001

It was thrilling to watch them, the regulars, so nonchalant, so composed as they slipped from Senate cloakroom to Senate hideaway, sharing jokes with powerful men old enough to be their fathers. —Ward Just, New York Times Book Review, 28 May 1989

He was surprisingly nonchalant about winning the award.

She faced the crowd with the nonchalant ease of an experienced speaker.

The team may have been somewhat nonchalant at the beginning of the season, but they now know that they need to work hard.

Recent Examples on the Web

But perhaps the more pronounced change in her life since turning 50 is the fact that the fashion designer and former Spice Girl has grown more nonchalant about what the world around her thinks about her. —Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024

His tone is more nonchalant than angry, spoken from the perspective of a 74-year-old man who seems to have long put any negative feelings in the rear view. —Jason Newman, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2024

Floridians are accustomed to hurricanes, weary of storms to the point that many are relatively nonchalant about a big storm’s approach. —Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2024

Though the storm ripped through some parts of the state — with at least 11 fatalities confirmed so far — Malinowski remained nonchalant in correspondences with NBC and his followers on social media. —Sophia Pargas, NBC News, 10 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old French, from present participle of nonchaloir to disregard, from non- + chaloir to concern, from Latin calēre to be warm — more at lee

First Known Use

circa 1734, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

nonchalant

adjective

non·​cha·​lant ˌnän-shə-ˈlänt 

ˈnän-shə-ˌlänt

: having a confident and easy manner

face a crowd with nonchalant ease

nonchalantly adverb

Etymology

from French nonchalant "not excited," derived from early French nonchaloir "to disregard, be unconcerned," from non- "not" and chaloir "to care," from Latin calēre "to be warm" — related to cauldron, calorie