Standard Lemma guide

insouciant

adj · 2 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɪnˈsuːsɪənt/
  • General-American: /inˈsusiənt/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N S UW1 S Y AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Casually unconcerned; carefree, indifferent, nonchalant.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • an insouciant gesture

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: blasé, uninterested, adiaphroistic, apathetic, apathistical, blithe, deaf, cool, shiftless, dispassionate, dull, enervated, gallionic, halfhearted, heartless, impassive, ineffervescible, insouciant, indifferent, insensible, jaded, languid, languorous, Laodicean, lethargic, listless, lackadaisical, lotophagous, lukewarm, meh, mopey, nonchalant, nonplussed, otiose, phlegmatic, pococurante, spiritless, supine, tepid, torpid, torpedinous, unaroused, uncaring, unconcerned, unenthusiastic, unimpressible, unlively, unmoved, untouched, unzealous, world-weary, airy, at ease, at peace, carefree, careless, casual, chill, devil-may-care, easy-breezy, easygoing, happy-go-lucky, laid-back, leisurely, lighthearted, loose, mellow, relaxed, serene, solute, tranquil, unanxious, unbothered, undisturbed, unruffled, untroubled, unworried, wanton

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

marked by blithe unconcern

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an ability to interest casual students
  • showed a casual disregard for cold weather
  • an utterly insouciant financial policy
  • an elegantly insouciant manner
  • drove his car with nonchalant abandon
  • was polite in a teasing nonchalant manner

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: casual, nonchalant

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From French insouciant, from in- (“not”, prefix) + souciant (“worrying”), 1828.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Czech: bezstarostný — casually unconcerned — see also carefree, nonchalant
  • Dutch: nonchalant — casually unconcerned — see also carefree, nonchalant
  • French: insouciant — casually unconcerned — see also carefree, nonchalant
  • Georgian: უდარდელი (udardeli) — casually unconcerned — see also carefree, nonchalant
  • Greek: αμέριμνος (amérimnos) — casually unconcerned — see also carefree, nonchalant
  • Manx: neuchurrymagh — casually unconcerned — see also carefree, nonchalant
  • Māori: ngākaukore — casually unconcerned — see also carefree, nonchalant
  • Māori: haumaruru — casually unconcerned — see also carefree, nonchalant
  • Māori: arokore — casually unconcerned — see also carefree, nonchalant
  • Polish: niefrasobliwy — casually unconcerned — see also carefree, nonchalant
  • Portuguese: despreocupado — casually unconcerned — see also carefree, nonchalant
  • Russian: беззабо́тный (bezzabótnyj) — casually unconcerned — see also carefree, nonchalant
  • Russian: безразли́чный (bezrazlíčnyj) — casually unconcerned — see also carefree, nonchalant
  • Turkish: dinç — casually unconcerned — see also carefree, nonchalant