English

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Etymology

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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).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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nonchalant (comparative more nonchalant, superlative most nonchalant)

  1. 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.
  2. Indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached.
    He is far too nonchalant about such a serious matter.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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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.

Danish

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Etymology

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From French nonchalant.

Adjective

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nonchalant

  1. nonchalant, offhand

Inflection

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Inflection of nonchalant
positive 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

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nonchalant

  1. nonchalantly, offhandedly

Further reading

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Dutch

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French nonchalant.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˌnɔn.ʃaːˈlɑnt/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: non‧cha‧lant
  • Rhymes: -ɑnt

Adjective

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nonchalant (comparative nonchalanter, superlative nonchalantst)

  1. careless, showing no interest or effort

Declension

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Declension 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
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French

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Etymology

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Present participle of Old French nonchaloir (to have no importance), from non +‎ chaloir, equivalent to Latin non (not) +‎ calēre (to be warm).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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nonchalant (feminine nonchalante, masculine plural nonchalants, feminine plural nonchalantes)

  1. Marked by a lack of vivacity, vigour, liveliness; slow-moving; indolent
  2. Cool, relaxed

Usage notes

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  • Although French nonchalant is usually appropriate where the English one is used, its meaning is different.
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Descendants

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Further reading

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German

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French nonchalant, from Old French nonchaloir, from Latin non (not) +‎ calēre (to be warm).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [ˌnɔ̃ʃaˈlɑ̃ː], [ˌnɔ̃ʃaˈlant]
  • Audio:(file)

Adjective

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nonchalant (strong nominative masculine singular nonchalanter, comparative nonchalanter, superlative am nonchalantesten)

  1. nonchalant

Declension

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Further reading

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Norwegian Bokmål

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From French nonchalant.

Adjective

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nonchalant (indefinite singular nonchalant, definite singular and plural nonchalante)

  1. nonchalant

References

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From French nonchalant.

Adjective

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nonchalant (indefinite singular nonchalant, definite singular and plural nonchalante)

  1. nonchalant

References

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