Word
nonchalant
Phoneticsnon·cha·lant
US/ˌnɑnʃəˈɫɑnt/
UK/nˈɒnʃələnt/
Definition
adj. relaxed and calm, showing that you are not worried or do not care about something.
adj. displaying a calm, relaxed, and unconcerned manner. Often implies a deliberate lack of enthusiasm or anxiety in a situation where such emotions might be expected.
Examples
“He gave a nonchalant shrug when I asked about the missing money.”
“Despite the intense pressure of the final exam, she remained completely nonchalant and finished her paper early.”
“His nonchalant attitude toward the company's declining revenue frustrated the board members, who expected a far more urgent and proactive response from their chief executive.”
Examples
simple
“He gave a nonchalant shrug when I asked about the missing money.”
contextual
“Despite the intense pressure of the final exam, she remained completely nonchalant and finished her paper early.”
complex
“His nonchalant attitude toward the company's declining revenue frustrated the board members, who expected a far more urgent and proactive response from their chief executive.”
Usage
Typically followed by the preposition 'about' when specifying the object of indifference.
Real-World Examples
“The Den was its usual self, a place that always manages somehow to generate that unique crackle of nonchalant hostility, no matter how midweek the crowd (and this one was a near-full house).” “Despite the nonchalant confidence, Liam seemingly went into the tour with a point to prove.” “Torino kept battling, and Scotland’s Ché Adams scored the best goal of the game in injury time, an outrageously nonchalant right-foot volley over his own left shoulder.” Etymology
Borrowed from French nonchalant, from Old French nonchaloir (“to be unconcerned”), from non- (“not”) + chaloir (“to have concern for”), from Latin non (“not”) + calēre (“to be warm”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/nonchalant