nonchalantly
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of nonchalantly
Explanation
Use the adverb nonchalantly to describe an action done in a really relaxed, casual, unconcerned way. From now on if someone asks you to define the word nonchalantly, you can do it...nonchalantly. It’s no big deal! You may nonchalantly hit a 3-point shot during a basketball game — you've done it a million times before so you're relaxed and confident. Nonchalantly can also describe something that just seems relaxed. Even if you’re truly stressed out about an upcoming test, you can still shrug nonchalantly about it to make people think you’re unconcerned.
Vocabulary lists containing nonchalantly
The Outsiders
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
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Walk Two Moons
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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.
A video clip went viral after it showed her clad in Knicks gear and nonchalantly dumping the contents of the blue-and-orange trash can onto the sidewalk before walking off with it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
But Haaland showed no signs of a lack of confidence when he nonchalantly lifted the ball over Galatasaray goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir from Jeremy Doku's fine through ball.
From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026
Nick Smith Jr. placed his newest souvenir nonchalantly underneath the press conference table.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2025
If some consumers are reacting more nonchalantly to Netflix’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros.
From Salon ● Dec. 10, 2025
And in his final letter Ruess nonchalantly confesses to his brother: I have had a few narrow escapes from rattlers and crumbling cliffs.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
