insouciance

noun

in·​sou·​ci·​ance in-ˈsü-sē-ən(t)s  aⁿ-süs-ˈyäⁿs 

: lighthearted unconcern : nonchalance

insouciant

in-ˈsü-sē-ənt 

aⁿ-süs-ˈyäⁿ

adjective

insouciantly

in-ˈsü-sē-ənt-lē 

adverb

Did you know?

If you were alive and of whistling age in the late 1980s or early 1990s, chances are you whistled (and snapped your fingers, and tapped your toes) to a little ditty called “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin, an a cappella reggae-jazz-pop tune that took the charts by surprise and by storm. An ode to cheerful insouciance if ever there was one, its lyrics are entirely concerned with being entirely unconcerned, remaining trouble-free in the face of life’s various stressors and calamities. Such carefree nonchalance is at the heart of insouciance, which arrived in English (along with the adjective insouciant), from French, in the 1800s. The French word comes from a combining of the negative prefix in- with the verb soucier, meaning “to trouble or disturb.” The easiness and breeziness of insouciance isn’t always considered beautiful, however. Insouciance may also be used when someone’s lack of concern for serious matters is seen as more careless than carefree.

Synonyms of insouciance

• disregard
• nonchalance
• indifference

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

For here was a gay man doomed by his failure to recognize that the courtroom was a different kind of stage, one where flamboyant insouciance would bring disaster rather than applause. —Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026

Both arrived at Oxford with the insouciance of privilege, having been privately educated at exclusive institutions, Down at Charterhouse School (Thackeray, Vaughan Williams) and Kay at King’s College School, Wimbledon (Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Walter Sickert). —Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2025

Duchêne, 30, brings a chic downtown insouciance, shaped by stints at Passerini and Le Taillevent in Paris, Frenchie in London, and Margot in Brooklyn. —Mehr Singh, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2025

Victoria Mboko is only 18 years old, but presents more insouciance than innocence on the court. —Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025

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

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Kids Definition

insouciance

noun

in·​sou·​ci·​ance in-ˈsü-sē-ən(t)s 

: a lighthearted lack of concern

insouciant

-ənt 

adjective