nonchalant
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word 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.
No doubt that playful warmth played a part in him being cast as Luffy, a hilariously nonchalant, yet utterly sincere would-be pirate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
Heading into the results, investors were a bit more nonchalant about threats to the economy.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 14, 2026
Mr. Mendonça Filho’s film is a nonchalant look at an utterly bonkers time and place under military dictatorship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025
At his most nonchalant, he’s doing an Oliver impression.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025
Silhouetted against the flat blue sky, he rested easily on the yard, as nonchalant and perfectly balanced as a cat.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
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.
