insouciant

[ in-soo-see-uhnt; French an-soo-syahn ]

See synonyms for insouciant on Thesaurus.com

adjective

free from concern, worry, or anxiety; carefree; nonchalant.

Origin of insouciant

First recorded in 1820–30; from French, equivalent to in- in-³ + souciant, present participle of soucier “to worry,” from Vulgar Latin sollicītāre (unrecorded), for Latin sollicitāre “to disturb”; see solicitous

Other words for insouciant

lighthearted, jaunty, breezy; relaxed, easygoing, unconcerned

See synonyms for insouciant on Thesaurus.com

Other words from insouciant

in·sou·ci·ant·ly, adverb

Words Nearby insouciant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use insouciant in a sentence

Her poems are marked by an insouciant sense of hope, something she sees as a necessity in these times.
Poet Tracy K. Smith on Finding Joy During an Unbearable Year | Cady Lang | September 28, 2021 | Time
It is an example of insouciant royal play, and the fun of something going wrong.
Disorder of the Garter | Tom Sykes | June 14, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Because he is a mouthy, insouciant rascal with a great shtick.
Alec Baldwin’s Twitter Troubles | Sandra McElwaine | April 17, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Together they read like a dive-bar lecture series: insouciant, slightly surly, mock profound.
America's Pop Culture Savant | Taylor Antrim | October 30, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
With that mask on, I fluff the ends of my hair into a structured but insouciant flip.
The Politics of Michelle Obama's Hair | Patricia J. Williams | October 9, 2008 | THE DAILY BEAST

There was no secernment between her soul and surface; she was mere, insouciant, with a rare dulcedo.
Punch, Or the London Charivari, Volume 107, October 27th, 1894 | Various
More or less—an insouciant manner, and a rather startling button-hole.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 108, February 23, 1895 | Various
Adversity came to the insouciant grey battery, adversity quickening to disaster.
The Long Roll | Mary Johnston
At St Malo, as the tide ebbed, all the delightfully insouciant and cheery French world congregated.
Love's Usuries | Louis Creswicke
Indolent, insouciant and apathetic, the Arab lives to-day as in the past, indifferent to all progress.
In the Land of Mosques & Minarets | Francis Miltoun

British Dictionary definitions for insouciant

insouciant

/ (ɪnˈsuːsɪənt) /

adjective

carefree or unconcerned; light-hearted

Origin of insouciant

C19: from French, from in- 1 + souciant worrying, from soucier to trouble, from Latin sollicitāre; compare solicitous

Derived forms of insouciant

insouciance, noun
insouciantly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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