Standard Lemma guide

blithe

adj · name · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /blaɪð/
  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /blaɪθ/
  • Received-Pronunciation: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aɪð
  • rhymes with -aɪθ
  • CMU ARPABET: B L AY1 DH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Casually careless or indifferent; showing a lack of concern; nonchalant.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • She had a blithe disregard of cultures outside the United States.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Cheerful, happy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Scotland

Qualifier: elsewhere dated or literary

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Fair, beautiful, comely; gracious, pleasant and attractive in manner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

name

Meaning 4

A river in Staffordshire, England, which joins the River Trent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

carefree and happy and lighthearted

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • was loved for her blithe spirit
  • a merry blithesome nature
  • her lighthearted nature
  • trilling songs with a lightsome heart

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: blithesome, lighthearted, lightsome, light-hearted

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

lacking or showing a lack of due concern

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • spoke with blithe ignorance of the true situation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English blithe (“glad, happy, joyful; causing joy, joyous; gentle, mild; gracious, merciful; bright, shining; beautiful, fair”) [and other forms], from Old English blīþe (“happy, gentle”), from Proto-West Germanic *blīþī, from Proto-Germanic *blīþiz (“friendly; gentle, mild; pleasing”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhlī- (“fine; light; pleasant”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhel- (“shiny; white”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian bliede (“glad, cheerful, merry”), West Frisian bliid (“cheerful, glad”), Dutch blij (“happy”), German Low German blied (“happy, lucky”).

Likely derived from the Old English adjective blīþe (“joyful, merry”).

Across languages

Translations

29 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: безгрижен (bezgrižen) — casually careless or indifferent; showing a lack of concern
  • Catalan: descurós — casually careless or indifferent; showing a lack of concern
  • Catalan: indiferent — casually careless or indifferent; showing a lack of concern
  • Catalan: descurat — casually careless or indifferent; showing a lack of concern
  • Dutch: onverschillig — casually careless or indifferent; showing a lack of concern
  • French: indifférent — casually careless or indifferent; showing a lack of concern
  • French: négligent — casually careless or indifferent; showing a lack of concern
  • Italian: indifferente — casually careless or indifferent; showing a lack of concern
  • Māori: arokore — casually careless or indifferent; showing a lack of concern
  • Russian: беспе́чный (bespéčnyj) — casually careless or indifferent; showing a lack of concern
  • Russian: беззабо́тный (bezzabótnyj) — casually careless or indifferent; showing a lack of concern
  • Russian: легкомы́сленный (lexkomýslennyj) — casually careless or indifferent; showing a lack of concern
  • Russian: небре́жный (nebréžnyj) — casually careless or indifferent; showing a lack of concern
  • Russian: несерьёзный (neserʹjóznyj) — casually careless or indifferent; showing a lack of concern
  • Spanish: indiferente — casually careless or indifferent; showing a lack of concern
  • Chinese Mandarin: 无所谓 (wúsuǒwèi) — cheerful, happy — see also cheerful, happy
  • Dutch: blij — cheerful, happy — see also cheerful, happy
  • French: allègre — cheerful, happy — see also cheerful, happy
  • French: content — cheerful, happy — see also cheerful, happy
  • French: gai — cheerful, happy — see also cheerful, happy
  • French: joyeux — cheerful, happy — see also cheerful, happy
  • Kyrgyz: бактылуу (baktıluu) — cheerful, happy — see also cheerful, happy
  • Kyrgyz: шайыр (şayır) — cheerful, happy — see also cheerful, happy
  • Low German: blied — cheerful, happy — see also cheerful, happy
  • Russian: счастли́вый (sčastlívyj) — cheerful, happy — see also cheerful, happy
  • Russian: весёлый (vesjólyj) — cheerful, happy — see also cheerful, happy
  • Russian: жизнера́достный (žiznerádostnyj) — cheerful, happy — see also cheerful, happy
  • Spanish: alegre — cheerful, happy — see also cheerful, happy
  • Spanish: feliz — cheerful, happy — see also cheerful, happy