Standard Lemma guide

nonchalance

noun · 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.

  • UK: /ˈnɒnʃələns/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˌnɑːnʃəˈlɑːns/
  • CMU ARPABET: N AA1 N SH AH0 L AA1 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Indifference, unconcern; carelessness; coolness; disregard, detachment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: acedia, accedie, apathy, boredom, carefreeness, carelessness, coolness, disinterest, disregard, doldrums, ennui, heedlessness, indifference, insouciance, languor, lassitude, lethargy, listlessness, malaise, melancholia, melancholy, unconcern, unease, weltschmerz

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the trait of remaining calm and seeming not to care; a casual lack of concern

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unconcern, indifference

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: carefreeness

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French nonchalance.

Across languages

Translations

28 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: безразличие (bezrazličie) — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Bulgarian: безгрижие (bezgrižie) — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Catalan: indiferència — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Catalan: despreocupació — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Czech: nonšalance — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Finnish: yliolkaisuus — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Finnish: itsevarmuus — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • French: nonchalance — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • German: Nonchalance — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • German: Gelassenheit — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • German: Lässigkeit — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • German: Sprezzatura — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • German: Unbekümmertheit — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • German: Sorglosigkeit — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • German: Unbeschwertheit — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Hungarian: fesztelenség — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Hungarian: lezserség — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Hungarian: nemtörődömség — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Hungarian: nonsalansz — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Italian: non-chalance — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Norwegian Bokmål: nonchalanse — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Portuguese: indiferença — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Portuguese: descontração — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Romanian: nonșalanță — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Russian: безразли́чие (bezrazlíčije) — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Russian: беззабо́тность (bezzabótnostʹ) — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Russian: небре́жность (nebréžnostʹ) — indifference; carelessness; coolness
  • Spanish: indiferente, descuidado — indifference; carelessness; coolness