insouciance

[in-soo-see-uh ns; French an-soo-syahns]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR insouciance ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the quality of being insouciant; lack of care or concern; indifference.

Origin of insouciance

From French, dating back to 1790–1800; see origin at insouciant, -ance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for insouciance

negligence, disdain, carelessness, inattention, apathy, lack, nonchalance, alienation, disinterest, disregard, inertia, insensitivity, callousness, inactivity, drowsiness, casualness, indifference, insouciance, simplicity, spontaneity

Examples from the Web for insouciance

Contemporary Examples of insouciance

Its insouciance with punctuation may lend the book an aura of difficulty, but in practice this is not the case.
Great Weekend Reads
The Daily Beast
January 22, 2011
No, this was “theater” pronounced with sunglasses and insouciance.
How I Found My Voice
Carly Simon
June 7, 2009

Historical Examples of insouciance

With that and a superb air of insouciance, he made shift to go.
The Trampling of the Lilies
Rafael Sabatini
A wave of his hand simulated an insouciance he did not feel.
When the Sleepers Woke
Arthur Leo Zagat
Perhaps they were affecting a little of that British insouciance you spoke of—'
Lord Kilgobbin
Charles Lever
I crave the gaiety and insouciance of Roberta's care-free Bohemians.
Possessed
Cleveland Moffett
That's the kind of man I really like, chirping his insouciance.
Fantasia of the Unconscious
D. H. Lawrence

Word Origin and History for insouciance

1799, from French insouciant "carelessness, thoughtlessness, heedlessness," from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + se soucier "to care," from Latin sollicitare "to agitate" (see solicit).