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• cavalier
  cavalier

  noun

  a horseman, especially a mounted soldier; knight.
• Cavalier
  Cavalier

  noun

  a supporter of Charles I during the English Civil War Compare Roundhead

cavalier

American  

[kav-uh-leer, kav-uh-leer] / ˌkæv əˈlɪər, ˈkæv əˌlɪər /

noun

cavaliers plural

1. a horseman, especially a mounted soldier; knight.

2. one having the spirit or bearing of a knight; a courtly gentleman; gallant.

3. a man escorting a woman or acting as her partner in dancing.

4. (initial capital letter) an adherent of Charles I of England in his contest with Parliament.

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adjective

1. haughty, disdainful, or supercilious.

   an arrogant and cavalier attitude toward others.

   Synonyms:

   condescending, thoughtless, uncaring, offhand, indifferent

2. offhand or unceremonious.

   The very dignified officials were confused by his cavalier manner.

3. (initial capital letter) of or relating to the Cavaliers.

4. (initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of the Cavalier poets or their work.

verb (used without object)

1. to play the cavalier.

2. to be haughty or domineering.

cavalier ¹ British  

/ ˌkævəˈlɪə /

adjective

1. showing haughty disregard; offhand

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noun

1. a gallant or courtly gentleman, esp one acting as a lady's escort

2. archaic a horseman, esp one who is armed

Cavalier ² British  

/ ˌkævəˈlɪə /

noun

1. a supporter of Charles I during the English Civil War Compare Roundhead

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cavalierism
  noun
• cavalierness
  noun
• uncavalier
  adjective
• cavalierly
  adverb
• uncavalierly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cavaliers
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cavalier Cavalier cavaliers

Divine might have picked up his cavalier attitude toward precedent while clerking for Justice Clarence Thomas during the Supreme Court’s 2020–21 term.

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026

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

“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

“You can’t be cavalier about the fact that this is going to have some potential disruptive possibilities,” said Sanjay Poonen, chief executive of data-security company Cohesity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026

He was a true cavalier, with his fine embroidered coat, his commanding air, and the wealth of dark curb that flowed over his velvet collar.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare

In his telling, two distinct social archetypes rooted in the era of England’s 17th-century civil war—the Cavalier and the Puritan—were symbolized by the ships of his title, the White Lion and the Mayflower.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

The situations now and in 2022 are "very different", Oddo BHF economist Bruno Cavalier said.

From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026

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

Bozy, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, almost didn’t make it a year.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2024

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

So the BBC Radio 4's Today programme debate on "Do We Need a Monarchy?" offered snapshots into these competing world views, serving up a pundits' version of roundheads versus cavaliers.

From BBC ● Apr. 26, 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

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

The only ones who even irritated him were the cavaliers, the high-bred, feathery, courtly ones who spoke like Englishmen and treated a man like dirt.

From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara

Related Words

• condescending
• curt
• disdainful
• haughty
• offhand
• supercilious