insouciant

[ in-soo-see-uhnt; French an-soo-syahn ]

adjective

1. free from concern, worry, or anxiety; carefree; nonchalant.

   Synonyms: unconcerned, easygoing, relaxed, breezy, jaunty, lighthearted

insouciant

/ ɪnˈsuːsɪənt /

adjective

1. carefree or unconcerned; light-hearted

Derived Forms

• inˈsouciance, noun
• inˈsouciantly, adverb

Other Words From

• in·souci·ant·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of insouciant¹

First recorded in 1820–30; from French, equivalent to in- in- ³ + souciant “worrying,” present participle of soucier “to worry,” from Vulgar Latin sollicītāre (unrecorded), from Latin sollicitāre “to disturb”; solicitous

Word History and Origins

Origin of insouciant¹

C19: from French, from in- ¹+ souciant worrying, from soucier to trouble, from Latin sollicitāre; compare solicitous

Example Sentences

Tall and lean, Mr. Shih smiled for the cameras, his hands tucked in his pockets, in what he said was an effort to convey insouciant confidence.

From New York Times

This demand gives the lie to a common misconception of liberalism, namely, that it is an ethic of insouciant self-indulgence, a politics for blithe egoists.

From Salon

Reva said he was confident that the soul of Odesa — insouciant, sardonic, seductive — would survive the war.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump defiantly planned a victory lap and campaign event for his arraignment day—the media complied by covering him as insouciant.

From Salon

Faced with criticism of the book’s uncredited reliance on anthropological research, Andrade offered up, in an open letter, a typically insouciant response: “I copied Brazil.”

From New York Times