adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of carefree
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.
Vocabulary lists containing carefree
Smiley Face: Synonyms for "Happy"
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The Night Diary
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Gordon Lightfoot (1938–2023) Tribute List
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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.
The Appleseed myth reached a high point in 1948, when Walt Disney released an animated musical film about a gentle soul who spent his days “workin’, singin’, carefree, and gay.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
My first thought was about the state tax savings External link, which is probably as good a sign as any that my days of carefree videogame criminality remain behind me.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
Another told the court he was a "very carefree 17-year-old" whose future had been "tarnished and altered irreversibly" by the "mistake" he made in trusting the older man.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
I get it — part of having fun is being carefree.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026
Our behavior resembled that of the people on TV, happy and carefree.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
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.
