cavalier
noun
a horseman, especially a mounted soldier; knight.
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Cavali.
cavalier
American
[kav-uh-leer, kav-uh-leer]
/ ˌkæv əˈlɪər, ˈkæv əˌlɪər /
noun
cavaliers
plural
-
a horseman, especially a mounted soldier; knight.
-
one having the spirit or bearing of a knight; a courtly gentleman; gallant.
-
a man escorting a woman or acting as her partner in dancing.
-
(initial capital letter) an adherent of Charles I of England in his contest with Parliament.
adjective
-
haughty, disdainful, or supercilious.
an arrogant and cavalier attitude toward others.
- Synonyms:
- condescending, thoughtless, uncaring, offhand, indifferent
-
offhand or unceremonious.
The very dignified officials were confused by his cavalier manner.
-
(initial capital letter) of or relating to the Cavaliers.
-
(initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of the Cavalier poets or their work.
verb (used without object)
-
to play the cavalier.
-
to be haughty or domineering.
cavalier
1
British
/ ˌkævəˈlɪə /
adjective
noun
-
a gallant or courtly gentleman, esp one acting as a lady's escort
-
archaic a horseman, esp one who is armed
Cavalier
2
British
/ ˌkævəˈlɪə /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of cavalier
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Middle French: “horseman, knight,” from Old Italian cavaliere, from Old Provençal, from Late Latin caballārius “man on horseback,” equivalent to Latin caball(us) “horse” ( cf. capercaillie) + -ārius -ary
Explanation
Someone who is cavalier has a dismissive attitude and regards other people as inferior. If you think you know more than your teacher and never bother doing homework, your parents might complain that you are cavalier about your studies. The word cavalier dates from mid-16th-century French, from the Latin caballus, meaning “horse.” If you have a cavalier attitude, you look down on other people — as if you are sitting on a very tall horse and other people are sitting down there on the ground.
Vocabulary lists containing cavalier
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Much of the world still thinks of Latin American organized crime in terms of cut-throat cocaine cartels and cavalier capos like Pablo Escobar.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
If we call the cops on teens violating a city curfew, it suggests a cavalier attitude toward the perils of the justice system.
From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026
“The cavalier manner in which Trump Mobile has treated its customers is shocking,” Warner wrote in a Tuesday letter to Trump Mobile.
From Salon ● May 21, 2026
One shouldn’t be cavalier about the effects such restrictions can have on a country’s politics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
How can he accuse Vincent of being cavalier in his painting?
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
This year he has brought two Bernese, a Border Collie, a Pomeranian and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026
As if on cue, Rudy, my aged Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, gingerly sidled up to him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2025
Messi was rested for three Miami games before coming off the bench and scoring in last week's Concacaf Champions Cup win at Jamaican side Cavalier.
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2025
Stephanie Okrepkie drove away with her son, the family’s black Lab mix and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2025
Linton and Judge Willmore pressed him on whether he could be indigent if he just bought the Chevy Cavalier.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
She was at Westminster on Monday to show one of her cavaliers, named Hope.
From Seattle Times ● May 8, 2023
He wished that his knights for the battle would thirst, But his “brave” cavaliers were, quite simply, The Worst.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 21, 2022
The divas and cavaliers of this all-male troupe are — as they present themselves to us in performance — fabulously stupid, artificial, hammy, clichéd, superficial, dated, monstrous.
From New York Times ● Dec. 15, 2016
For instance, in the Waltz of the Flowers, the four cavaliers, suited up hilariously as tuxedoed bumblebees, toss the ballerinas in quick succession, avoiding airborne collisions by seconds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2015
Bored of these women, bored of these cavaliers who masqueraded as companions, bored of everything.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
