1
as in nonchalant
having a relaxed, casual manner
a devil-may-care golfer who knows that it's only a game
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2
as in reckless
having or showing a lack of concern for the consequences of one's actions
the devil-may-care speed with which he drives his sports car is going to cause a lot of grief someday
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in carefree
having or showing freedom from worries or troubles
the devil-may-care attitude that some people have about needlessly contributing to global warming
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of devil-may-care
Its goofy, devil-may-care logic and rapid-fire comedy rarely translated to feature-length run times.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
The surreal beauty of Jekyll Island, Georgia, proves an enchanting backdrop for fantastic silhouettes, playful textures, and a devil-may-care romantic flair.
—Tyler Mitchell, Vogue, 26 Feb. 2025
Eve Plumb struck a devil-may-care pose in New York City.
—John Russell, People.com, 25 Feb. 2025
Over the years, however, her devil-may-care approach has mutated into an inability to accept any criticism, real or imagined, and view it as unfounded hate or maliciousness against the chaos of her life.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2025
With dark blond hair and hazel eyes, Denise had a youthful beauty and hid her tough circumstances under a devil-may-care attitude.
—Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024
Sure, but this is another bit of evidence on the pile of moments of Kate making judgment calls that can be seen as using the tools at her disposal or as devil-may-care failures to heed guidance from others.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
The movie, based on Chuck Palahniuk’s subversive novel, starred Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter and followed an insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker who form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024
Our editors turned to the many muses of the decade — from Winona Ryder’s devil-may-care leather looks to Naomi Campbell’s downtown-meets-uptown girl aura — to create these ’90s fall outfit ideas that feature Coach’s best purses of the season.
—Claire Sullivan, WWD, 8 Oct. 2024
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
The surreal beauty of Jekyll Island, Georgia, proves an enchanting backdrop for fantastic silhouettes, playful textures, and a devil-may-care romantic flair.
—Tyler Mitchell, Vogue, 26 Feb. 2025
Eve Plumb struck a devil-may-care pose in New York City.
—John Russell, People.com, 25 Feb. 2025
Over the years, however, her devil-may-care approach has mutated into an inability to accept any criticism, real or imagined, and view it as unfounded hate or maliciousness against the chaos of her life.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2025
With dark blond hair and hazel eyes, Denise had a youthful beauty and hid her tough circumstances under a devil-may-care attitude.
—Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024
Sure, but this is another bit of evidence on the pile of moments of Kate making judgment calls that can be seen as using the tools at her disposal or as devil-may-care failures to heed guidance from others.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
The movie, based on Chuck Palahniuk’s subversive novel, starred Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter and followed an insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker who form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024
Our editors turned to the many muses of the decade — from Winona Ryder’s devil-may-care leather looks to Naomi Campbell’s downtown-meets-uptown girl aura — to create these ’90s fall outfit ideas that feature Coach’s best purses of the season.
—Claire Sullivan, WWD, 8 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devil-may-care
Adjective
-
The nonchalant nature of the talking stage can also shield individuals from rejection.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Among the many characters in the mural are: a gray cat perched in a tree; a white-and-black dog digging excitedly in the grass; a nonchalant orange cat lounging without a care; a dachshund mid-chase after a ball; and a black cat leaping into the air, back arched in dramatic flair.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, Democrats slammed the Signal chat as a reckless violation of secrecy that could have put service members in harm’s way.—
Stephen Groves,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2025
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Marcantonio faces four counts of first-degree reckless endangerment and a single count each of reckless driving, failure to maintain the proper lane and first-degree manslaughter.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Symbolized by the ram, Aries is a fire sign, known for its strong persona. Courageous, strong-willed and carefree − those born under Aries are often seen as natural leaders.—
Olivia Munson,
USA TODAY,
21 Mar. 2025
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Most days, these cattle live out docile, carefree lives on the ranch, grazing on tall grass.—
Phillip Valys,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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His pursuit of Gretzky has captured the attention of many casual hockey fans, helping with tune-in for the NHL.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Transaction gaming dropped 6%, while casual and free-to-play gaming grew 16%.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The Bucs need more daredevil defenders who can wheel and steal the football.—
Rick Stroud,
Orlando Sentinel,
18 Mar. 2025
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That would be daredevil buddies Max and Benj Cave (brothers whose middle names are both Storror), Callum and Sacha Powell (also brothers), Drew Taylor, Toby Segar and Josh Burnett-Blake, who started out simply horsing around, filming pranks and sharing them online.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Today, despite a cavalier public attitude toward the disease, AIDS causes over 630,000 deaths globally.—
Powel H. Kazanjian,
The Conversation,
5 Mar. 2025
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But after this rush of cavalier soldiering and bitter sarcasm comes a sobering moment.—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This ensures frequent call performance remains unaffected while reducing storage costs.—
Gaurav Bansal,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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Despite the attack, train movements and schedules remain unaffected.—
Hannah Parry,
Newsweek,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Both announcements were mocked for their pace, but could any other show or movie pull off such a daring (yet glacially slow) event for something as ordinary as a release date or cast reveal?—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2025
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Co-created with star Stephen Graham, the four-part series uses a daring one-shot for each episode to call attention to widespread reports of young boys involved in knife crimes.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devil-may-care.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devil-may-care. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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