nonchalant
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- nonchalance noun
- nonchalantly adverb
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”; non-, -ant
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
Dimon, often more willing than most to focus on the dour side, said he was concerned about how investors appeared nonchalant about risks in credit, although he acknowledged consumer defaults looked normal so far.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025
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
He scooted away with his body doubled over and his face contorted intentionally into a nonchalant, sociable smile in case anyone chanced to see him.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
