insouciant
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- insouciance noun
- insouciantly adverb
Etymology
Origin of insouciant
First recorded in 1820–30; from French, equivalent to in- in- 3 + souciant “worrying,” present participle of soucier “to worry,” from Vulgar Latin sollicītāre (unrecorded), from Latin sollicitāre “to disturb”; see solicitous
Explanation
Only people with no real troubles can afford to be insouciant during times like these. Runway models are great at looking insouciant, strolling the catwalk apparently without a care in the world. Some prefer their musical idols to be insouciant, seeming not to care what their fans think or want. Others like them more eager to please, happy to take requests and engage. The two obvious examples are Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis. Armstrong would smile and encourage the audience to participate, while Davis was the insouciant master who showed no concern for or interest in what his listeners might prefer: some people found his insouciant manner irresistible.
Vocabulary lists containing insouciant
A Spelling Bee for Fun
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Negatives with "in"
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Behave Yourself! Vocabulary for Good, Bad, and Indifferent Conduct
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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.
This column had a couple of great calls, to buy Treasurys at the start of the year and to fear tariffs when the market was insouciant about import taxes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025
Irvine's outspoken, insouciant character fitted well with the team.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2025
Two years ago, a normally insouciant defense consultant with a high security clearance told me that a briefing he’d recently received on Russia and China’s anti-satellite, or ASAT, programs left him “shaken.”
From Slate • Feb. 15, 2024
Last year it updated their looks, making the group more “inclusive” in the company’s term, slightly changing their garb and endowing them with insouciant grins and smirks.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2023
For a moment, his insouciant swagger fails him.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
