nonchalance

American  

[non-shuh-lahns, non-shuh-lahns, -luhns] / ˌnɒn ʃəˈlɑns, ˈnɒn ʃəˌlɑns, -ləns /

noun

1. the state or quality of being nonchalant; cool indifference or lack of concern; casualness.

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Etymology

Origin of nonchalance

From French, dating back to 1670–80; nonchalant, -ance

Explanation

Nonchalance is a casual lack of concern, a relaxed state without anxiety or enthusiasm. Like how you'd act if the girl you've had a secret crush on since grade school asks you to the prom. (Or maybe not.) It's hard to achieve nonchalance. If you're like most people, there's always going to be something that will rattle you. And you can forget about behaving with chalance, because chalance isn't a word. Sometimes you hear people say that so-and-so acted with "studied nonchalance," which means to sort of fake it. Oddly, the word's origins go back to the Latin calere, which is the same word as the root of calorie. A calorie is a unit of energy, and to act with nonchalance is to refrain from showing too much energy or excitement, so actually, it makes sense.

Example Sentences

Marty tosses out the bald-faced lie that his mother died in childbirth with the nonchalance of ordering another coffee, before the orbital pull in the room shifts.

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2025

This is one reason for the Fed’s nonchalance toward housing market risks in the early 2000s.

From Barron's • Oct. 16, 2025

She meets Sorrentino’s demanding direction with a game nonchalance — so much staring at the lens!

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2025

Throughout it all, as if battling to emerge from quicksand, Blanchett commits to Lilith’s fierce nonchalance.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 9, 2024

He was struck by the nonchalance of Lawrence’s decision making: there had been no search committee; no bureaucratic procedure or vetting of candidates.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• casualness
• indifference
• insouciance