nonchalant
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nonchalant
First recorded in 1725–35; from French nonchalant, present participle of obsolete nonchaloir “to lack warmth (of heart), be indifferent,” equivalent to non- prefix meaning “not” + chaloir, from Latin calēre “to be warm”; see non-, -ant
Explanation
If your friend is acting cool, unconcerned or in an indifferent manner, call him nonchalant — like when he saunters by a group of whispering, giggling girls and just nods and says, "Hey." If you act nonchalant, you are literally acting cool, as nonchalant traces back to non- "not" and Latin calēre "to be warm." Isn't that cool? Sometimes, a nonchalant person acts indifferent or uninterested, but really cares very much. If you give a girl a nonchalant smile, you definitely want her to notice you! Even though it begins with non, nonchalant has no positive form — chalant is not a word.
Vocabulary lists containing nonchalant
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
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100 Top "SAT" Words
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Grade 9, List 1
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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.
CAREFREE, Ariz. — Elizabeth H. paused recently outside the post office in this small, high-desert community, not far from where Easy Street meets Nonchalant Avenue.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2026
Nonchalant probably isn’t the first word most would use to describe the Trojans senior linebacker.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2024
So, as the tale goes, Yingling called it Nonchalant, after the French word of that very idea, and then decided to add the “a.”
From Washington Times • Mar. 18, 2016
We continued into Carefree, with its street signs that reflect the relaxed mood: Languid Lane, Nonchalant Avenue, Nevermind Trail, Ho Hum Road.
From New York Times • May 20, 2010
Nonchalant reporters sat down with that amazing front page spread out before them, studied the brutal face of Stone and chuckled cynically.
From The Making of Bobby Burnit Being a Record of the Adventures of a Live American Young Man by Flagg, James Montgomery
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.
