nonchalant
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of nonchalant
First recorded in 1725–35; from French nonchalant, present participle of obsolete nonchaloir “to lack warmth (of heart), be indifferent,” equivalent to non- prefix meaning “not” + chaloir, from Latin calēre “to be warm”; see non-, -ant
Explanation
If your friend is acting cool, unconcerned or in an indifferent manner, call him nonchalant — like when he saunters by a group of whispering, giggling girls and just nods and says, "Hey." If you act nonchalant, you are literally acting cool, as nonchalant traces back to non- "not" and Latin calēre "to be warm." Isn't that cool? Sometimes, a nonchalant person acts indifferent or uninterested, but really cares very much. If you give a girl a nonchalant smile, you definitely want her to notice you! Even though it begins with non, nonchalant has no positive form — chalant is not a word.
Vocabulary lists containing nonchalant
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
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100 Top "SAT" Words
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Grade 9, List 1
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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.
The dress code was eclectic and appropriately L.A.: hyper-curated and nonchalant.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026
Heading into the results, investors were a bit more nonchalant about threats to the economy.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 14, 2026
The dandy may have many names, but we know him when we see him—he projects the aristocrat’s “superior air and nonchalant ennui,” Mr. Andersson writes, only a little too much.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
I wasn’t sure what scared me more, the thought of the tourists being attacked, or the way they were all so nonchalant in the face of danger creeping right up to them.
From Salon • Aug. 17, 2025
“Hello,” I said, trying to be nonchalant but delighted and beaming down at her all the same.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
