cool, composed, collected, unruffled, imperturbable, nonchalant mean free from agitation or excitement. cool may imply calmness, deliberateness, or dispassionateness.
kept a cool head composed implies freedom from agitation as a result of self-discipline or a sedate disposition.
the composed pianist gave a flawless concert collected implies a concentration of mind that eliminates distractions especially in moments of crisis.
the nurse stayed calm and collectedunruffled suggests apparent serenity and poise in the face of setbacks or in the midst of excitement.
harried but unruffledimperturbable implies coolness or assurance even under severe provocation.
the speaker remained imperturbable despite the heckling nonchalant stresses an easy coolness of manner or casualness that suggests indifference or unconcern.
a nonchalant driver
Stay Cool With the History of Nonchalant
Since "nonchalant" comes ultimately from Latin words meaning "not" and "be warm," it's no surprise that the word is all about keeping one's cool. The French word nonchalant, which we borrowed around 1734, has essentially the same meaning as our English word and was derived in Old French from a verb, "nonchaloir," which meant "to disregard." "Nonchaloir" in turn combines the negative "non-" with "chaloir," which means "to concern" and comes from the Latin calēre ("to be warm"). "Unconcerned" is one synonym of "nonchalant," along with "casual," "complacent," and "insouciant."
Examples of nonchalant in a Sentence
In those stories, we already find the qualities the world would come to know as "Kafkaesque": the nonchalant intrusion of the bizarre and horrible into everyday life, the subjection of ordinary people to an inscrutable fate.— Adam Kirsch, New York Times Book Review, 4 Jan. 2009 … watch his iron-backed posture as he rides a horse and listen to the nonchalant way in which, not barking but speaking he says "Fire" to the line of infantry, like someone asking for a light.— John Updike, New Yorker, 30 Sept. 2002
He and Anita (and an ancient, nonchalant Lhasa apso … ) live in a gated community, surrounded by high, vine-covered walls, redolent of Wrigley, that embrace a golf club and an attractive thicket of large houses …— Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated, 19 Mar. 2001It was thrilling to watch them, the regulars, so nonchalant, so composed as they slipped from Senate cloakroom to Senate hideaway, sharing jokes with powerful men old enough to be their fathers.— Ward Just, New York Times Book Review, 28 May 1989
He was surprisingly nonchalant about winning the award.
She faced the crowd with the nonchalant ease of an experienced speaker.
The team may have been somewhat nonchalant at the beginning of the season, but they now know that they need to work hard.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nonchalant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
French, from Old French, from present participle of nonchaloir to disregard, from non- + chaloir to concern, from Latin calēre to be warm — more at lee