Standard Lemma guide

devil-may-care

adj · 3 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

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1

adj

Meaning 1

Carefree, reckless, irresponsible.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: happy-go-lucky, heedless, imprudent, rash, airy, at ease, at peace, carefree, careless, casual, chill, cool, devil-may-care, easy-breezy, easygoing, indifferent, insouciant, laid-back, leisurely, lighthearted, loose, mellow, nonchalant, pococurante, relaxed, serene, solute, tranquil, unanxious, unbothered, unconcerned, undisturbed, unruffled, untroubled, unworried, wanton, daring, headstrong, impetuous, impulsive, precipitant, precipitate, precipitous, quick-and-dirty, reckless, sudden, temeritous

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness- Crary Moore

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a cocktail party given by some...raffish bachelors

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: raffish, rakish

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

cheerfully irresponsible

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • carefree with his money
  • freewheeling urban youths
  • had a harum-scarum youth

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: carefree, freewheeling, happy-go-lucky, harum-scarum, slaphappy

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From attributive use of a shortened idiom of the original oath or expression: The devil may care, but I do not.

Across languages

Translations

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: rämäpäinen — carefree
  • Finnish: holtiton — carefree
  • Finnish: välinpitämätön — carefree
  • Finnish: huoleton — carefree
  • French: insouciant — carefree
  • German: leichtsinnig — carefree
  • German: nachlässig — carefree
  • Indonesian: masa bodoh — carefree
  • Indonesian: peduli setan — carefree
  • Māori: raukeke — carefree
  • Polish: beztroski — carefree
  • Polish: luzacki — carefree
  • Polish: niefrasobliwy — carefree
  • Russian: беспе́чный (bespéčnyj) — carefree
  • Russian: беззабо́тный (bezzabótnyj) — carefree
  • Russian: легкомы́сленный (lexkomýslennyj) — carefree
  • Russian: безрассу́дный (bezrassúdnyj) — carefree
  • Russian: бесшаба́шный (besšabášnyj) — carefree
  • Russian: наплева́тельский (naplevátelʹskij) — carefree
  • Scottish Gaelic: coma-co-dhiù — carefree
  • Spanish: arriesgado — carefree
  • Spanish: despreocupado — carefree
  • Spanish: irresponsable — carefree
  • Spanish: temerario — carefree
  • Swedish: lättsinnig — carefree
  • Swedish: sorgfri — carefree
Real reading context

devil-may-care in complete knowledge articles