nonchalant
English
editEtymology
editBorrowed 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”).
Pronunciation
edit- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈnɒn.ʃəl.ənt/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˌnɑn.ʃəˈlɑnt/
Audio (US): (file) Audio (General Australian): (file)
Adjective
editnonchalant (comparative more nonchalant, superlative most nonchalant)
- Casually calm and relaxed.
- We handled the whole frenetic situation with a nonchalant attitude.
- 1951 October, R. S. McNaught, “Lines of Approach”, in Railway Magazine, page 703:
- On the other hand, to arrive after dusk, when the multitude of garish little public-houses are lit up, giving glimpses of crowded jostling bars and taprooms, is an introduction to a fine city well calculated to affect even the most nonchalant.
- 2010, Mary Roach, “You Go First: The Alarming Prospect of Life Without Gravity”, in Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, W. W. Norton & Company, →ISBN, page 90:
- […] The Mexican government's response to the American bombing was admirably laid back. General Enrique Diaz Gonzales and Consul General Raul Michel met with United States officials, who issued apologies and an invitation to come to "the next rocket shoot" at White Sands. The Mexican citizenry was similarly nonchalant. "Bomb Blast Fails to Halt Spring Fiesta," said the El Paso Times headline, noting that "many thought the explosion was a cannon fired for the opening of the fiesta."
- 2025 March 29, George Ramsay and Patrick Snell, “Aged 15, New Zealander Sam Ruthe has already run a four-minute mile. He would ‘love to try and qualify’ for the 2028 Olympics”, in CNN[1]:
- Undaunted by the occasion, Ruthe went on to become the first 15-year-old to run a sub-four-minute mile, even managing a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders as he crossed the finish line.
- Indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached.
- He is far too nonchalant about such a serious matter.
Synonyms
edit- (casually calm): carefree, cool, mellow, easygoing; see also Thesaurus:calm or Thesaurus:carefree
- (indifferent): blasé, unconcerned; see also Thesaurus:apathetic
Derived terms
editRelated terms
editTranslations
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
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Danish
editEtymology
editFrom French nonchalant.
Adjective
editnonchalant
Inflection
editpositive | comparative | superlative | |
---|---|---|---|
indefinite common singular | nonchalant | — | —2 |
indefinite neuter singular | nonchalant | — | —2 |
plural | nonchalante | — | —2 |
definite attributive1 | nonchalante | — | — |
1 When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite,
the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
2 The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.
Adverb
editnonchalant
Further reading
editDutch
editEtymology
editBorrowed from French nonchalant.
Pronunciation
editAdjective
editnonchalant (comparative nonchalanter, superlative nonchalantst)
- careless, showing no interest or effort
Declension
editDeclension of nonchalant | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
uninflected | nonchalant | |||
inflected | nonchalante | |||
comparative | nonchalanter | |||
positive | comparative | superlative | ||
predicative/adverbial | nonchalant | nonchalanter | het nonchalantst het nonchalantste | |
indefinite | m./f. sing. | nonchalante | nonchalantere | nonchalantste |
n. sing. | nonchalant | nonchalanter | nonchalantste | |
plural | nonchalante | nonchalantere | nonchalantste | |
definite | nonchalante | nonchalantere | nonchalantste | |
partitive | nonchalants | nonchalanters | — |
Related terms
editFrench
editEtymology
editPresent participle of Old French nonchaloir (“to have no importance”), from non + chaloir, equivalent to Latin non (“not”) + calēre (“to be warm”).
Pronunciation
editAdjective
editnonchalant (feminine nonchalante, masculine plural nonchalants, feminine plural nonchalantes)
- Marked by a lack of vivacity, vigour, liveliness; slow-moving; indolent
- Cool, relaxed
Usage notes
edit- Although French nonchalant is usually appropriate where the English one is used, its meaning is different.
Related terms
editDescendants
edit- → Danish: nonchalant
- → Dutch: nonchalant
- → English: nonchalant
- → German: nonchalant
- → Swedish: nonchalant
Further reading
edit- “nonchalant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
German
editEtymology
editBorrowed from French nonchalant, from Old French nonchaloir, from Latin non (“not”) + calēre (“to be warm”).
Pronunciation
editAdjective
editnonchalant (strong nominative masculine singular nonchalanter, comparative nonchalanter, superlative am nonchalantesten)
Declension
editFurther reading
edit- “nonchalant” in Duden online
- “nonchalant” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
Norwegian Bokmål
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom French nonchalant.
Adjective
editnonchalant (indefinite singular nonchalant, definite singular and plural nonchalante)
References
edit- “nonchalant” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom French nonchalant.
Adjective
editnonchalant (indefinite singular nonchalant, definite singular and plural nonchalante)
References
edit- “nonchalant” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
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