cavalier
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.
haughty, disdainful, or supercilious: an arrogant and cavalier attitude toward others.
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.
to play the cavalier.
to be haughty or domineering.
Origin of cavalier
1word story For cavalier
By the end of the 16th century, cavalier had also become a term of abuse, meaning “braggart, swaggerer,” as in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 2 (1596–99). This sense persisted till at least the English Civil War (1642–1651); the Puritan Roundheads called King Charles’s bellicose aristocratic supporters Cavaliers. By the mid-18th century, a cavalier also came to mean “an attendant upon or escort for a lady, a lady’s dancing partner.”
The adjective senses of cavalier, “offhand, careless, free and easy” arose in the second half of the 16th century; the negative adjective sense “haughty, disdainful” arose in the mid-18th century; the historical sense in reference to the Stuart Royalists arose in the mid-19th century.
Other words for cavalier
Other words from cavalier
- cav·a·lier·ism, cav·a·lier·ness, noun
- cav·a·lier·ly, adverb
- un·cav·a·lier, adjective
- un·cav·a·lier·ly, adverb
Words Nearby cavalier
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cavalier in a sentence
The metrics are good, and I don’t say that with a cavalier attitude.
Maryland state superintendent says students should be in school ‘right now’ | Donna St. George | October 28, 2020 | Washington Post“That’s pretty startling stuff in there in terms of the laxity or almost cavalier attitude about” attorney conduct, Carpenter said.
Maine Hires Lawyers With Criminal Records to Defend Poor Residents. The Governor Wants Reform. | by Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor | October 14, 2020 | ProPublicaThey aren’t cavalier about the health risks but say something critical is at stake.
Wisconsin election officials go from famine to feast with a swell of poll workers | Dan Simmons | October 8, 2020 | Washington PostIn an interview with Sports Illustrated years earlier, Salazar appeared cavalier about his own drug use.
Inside a secret running program at Nike and a win-at-all-costs corporate culture | Rachel King | October 6, 2020 | FortuneTake into account fuel economy, parking, and the fact that you’ll probably still need a commuter car if you’re based in a big city, and that cavalier road-trip machine might start to feel like a logistics nightmare.
Can’t Afford a Sprinter? Get a Tiny Van Instead. | Emily Pennington | September 16, 2020 | Outside Online
The mindsets of both cavalier and Puritan took root in the New World, and the experiment launched in 1776 continues.
"There is a cost to such a cavalier attitude," said Aparício, the former Bolivian ambassador to Washington.
Is Edward Snowden Bound for Bolivia? Evo Morales Sure Seems to Hope So | Eli Lake, Mac Margolis | July 2, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST“Wrong station, mate, you want the next,” you tell a strapping boy in a cavalier cloak.
‘Stupid Enough to Pay’: Tim Parks’s Italian Rail Adventures | Tim Parks | June 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST“Some reporters may take a cavalier attitude about being a martyr for a cause,” the friend added.
Jana Winter Gets Reprieve but Could Still Be Jailed Over Holmes Scoop | David Freedlander | April 9, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTI'm afraid those who have been to war and daily diced with death are rather cavalier with their health.
The other was the spirited portrait of Baron von Friedericks, a happy combination of cavalier and soldier in its manly strength.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D. | Clara Erskine ClementLike many another cavalier, he had a flame in every country, or rather, in every town which he visited.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonShe gave him a cavalier little nod, touched her horse with the whip, and a moment later was lost in a cloud of dust.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonThe old landed interest, the old cavalier interest, had now no share in the favours of the Crown.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington Macaulaycavalier traveled for the house, whose firm name appeared as "Fendant and cavalier."
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
British Dictionary definitions for cavalier (1 of 2)
/ (ˌkævəˈlɪə) /
showing haughty disregard; offhand
a gallant or courtly gentleman, esp one acting as a lady's escort
archaic a horseman, esp one who is armed
Origin of cavalier
1Derived forms of cavalier
- cavalierly, adverb
British Dictionary definitions for Cavalier (2 of 2)
/ (ˌkævəˈlɪə) /
a supporter of Charles I during the English Civil War: Compare Roundhead
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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