insouciance

noun

in·​sou·​ci·​ance in-ˈsü-sē-ən(t)s How to pronounce insouciance (audio) aⁿ-süs-ˈyäⁿs How to pronounce insouciance (audio)
: lighthearted unconcern : nonchalance
insouciant
in-ˈsü-sē-ənt How to pronounce insouciance (audio)
aⁿ-süs-ˈyäⁿ
adjective
insouciantly adverb

Did you know?

Don't worry; be insouciant. Perhaps your mind will rest easier if we explain that English speakers learned insouciance (as well as the adjective insouciant) from the French around the early 1800s. The French word comes from a combination of the negative prefix in- and soucier, meaning "to trouble or disturb." Soucier, in turn, traces to sollicitus, the Latin word for "anxious." If it seems to you that sollicitus looks a lot like some other English words you've seen, you're on to something. That root also gave us solicit (which now means "to entreat" but which was once used to mean "to fill with concern or anxiety"), solicitude (meaning "uneasiness of mind"), and solicitous ("showing or expressing concern").

Examples of insouciance in a Sentence

wandered into the meeting with complete insouciance to the fact that she was late
Recent Examples on the Web The insouciance of youth has always been a mesmerizing thing on the tennis court. Tim Ellis, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 To complete the look, the founder of Rare Beauty naturally chose to lacquer her lips in a fire-engine red, the true hallmark of Gallic insouciance. Georgia Day, Glamour, 20 Feb. 2024 India does both: Her haphazard approach to birth control never dims her determination to work as an actor, and her observations teeter-totter between insouciance and profundity. Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2024 But the main story has always been about the sheer, elegant insouciance of the place—think old-school, F Scott Fitzgerald Riviera style—along with the sort of supersonic service from staff who would put most events organizers in the shade. Angelina Villa-Clarke, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Nov. 2023 This feels, to many European Jews, like the same blindness or insouciance that allowed millions of their forbears to be sent to Nazi camps to be gassed. Roger Cohen, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2023 Her insouciance seems to at once irk and fascinate the rest of the cast. Time, 21 Aug. 2023 Mason Hereford’s restaurants, by contrast, stand out for their insouciance. Brett Anderson, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2023 Watch the Full 2023 Met Gala Red Carpet Livestream A casual take on the bon ton attire that usually collects around these kinds of events, the look compounded the insouciance of Watson’s Wimbledon outfits: the sleeveless button ups and sculptural Loewe heels, and the Oscar de la Renta minidresses. Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 6 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'insouciance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from in- + soucier to trouble, disturb, from Old French, from Latin sollicitare — more at solicit

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of insouciance was in 1799

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Cite this Entry

“Insouciance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insouciance. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

insouciance

noun
in·​sou·​ci·​ance in-ˈsü-sē-ən(t)s How to pronounce insouciance (audio)
: a lighthearted lack of concern
insouciant adjective

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