insouciant

[in-soo-see-uhnt, an-soo-syahn]

adjective

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

   Synonyms: unconcerned, easygoing, relaxed, breezy, jaunty, lighthearted

insouciant

/ ɪnˈsuːsɪənt /

adjective

1. carefree or unconcerned; light-hearted

Other Word Forms

• insouciance noun
• insouciantly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of insouciant¹

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”; solicitous

Word History and Origins

Origin of insouciant¹

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

Example Sentences

When Chishiya’s partner loses his nerve, he’s left as the odd man out, relying on his insouciant swagger to exacerbate the other characters’ insecurities.

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Instead, Law’s chiseled abs and insouciant grin were the secondi piatti following the generous serving of Andrew Scott’s Hot Priest on “Fleabag.”

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Tall and lean, Mr. Shih smiled for the cameras, his hands tucked in his pockets, in what he said was an effort to convey insouciant confidence.

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This demand gives the lie to a common misconception of liberalism, namely, that it is an ethic of insouciant self-indulgence, a politics for blithe egoists.

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Reva said he was confident that the soul of Odesa — insouciant, sardonic, seductive — would survive the war.

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