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Synonyms

carefree

American  
[kair-free] / ˈkɛərˌfri /

adjective

  1. without anxiety or worry.

    Synonyms:
    blithe, gleeful, cheerful, elated, joyous, lighthearted
  2. requiring little care.

    carefree fabrics.


carefree British  
/ ˈkɛəˌfriː /

adjective

  1. without worry or responsibility

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of carefree

First recorded in 1785–95; care + free

Explanation

To be carefree is to be free of care! You have no troubles or worries. Being carefree is feeling happy and breezy, like the carefree days of summer before school starts. To be carefree (one word) is to be happy and relaxed. People tend to be carefree when they're not working or thinking about work or school. Being carefree is the opposite of being stressed out. Carefree is not the same thing as careless — when you’re carefree, you haven't a care in the world and you might dance in a field of daisies. If you’re careless, you’re probably stomping on someone’s garden.

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Vocabulary lists containing carefree

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.

Once a month, I host a Corvettes & Coffee in Carefree, Ariz. It started with 25 cars four years ago, then it was 50 cars.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 28, 2025

The 10th ranked Washington men’s golf team enjoyed a successful opening day of the Pac-12 Championships on Friday, leading the pack virtually all day at Desert Forest Golf Club in Carefree, Ariz.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 26, 2024

Mr Sherriffe, whose charity has invested in the scheme along with Carefree Cornwall, bus operators and Cornwall Council, said there had been some "amazing stories" of people in Cornwall benefiting from free travel.

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2023

Instead, Carefree and the author are bonded by all that was left behind.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2021

Carefree, and smiling, and happy, up there onstage next to her sister and her dad.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

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