adjective
Other Word 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.
Cole may have helped sell Route 66, Taylor writes, but “the carefree adventure he was promoting was not meant for him.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
In another frame, Brigitte Bardot lies carefree in the countryside in a T-shirt and jeans.
From Barron's • May 10, 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
She had rushed to Wanda’s side, her voice cheery and carefree, and Moss took a moment to give a long look to the church hall.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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.
