as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
a cavalier and pompous boss, indifferent to the feelings of her subordinates
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in gentleman
an honorable and courteous man
a novel about the dashing cavaliers and gracious ladies of the South before the Civil War
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cavalier
Calum Marsh Bridget Bennett, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Mainstream outlets shouldn’t be so cavalier about maintaining their credibility.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025
Alexandra S. Levine, Forbes, 4 Aug. 2022
Finally, to call Alito’s assessment of the ruling’s consequences for women cavalier would be charitable.
—Sue Halpern, The New York Review of Books, 25 May 2022
See All Example Sentences for cavalier
Adjective
The present-day iteration is a lot less cavalier, with gun safety being the organization’s top priority and disqualifications happening even for seemingly minor infractions.
—Calum Marsh Bridget Bennett, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Mainstream outlets shouldn’t be so cavalier about maintaining their credibility.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025
Noun
What is unique, however, is the way TikTok and its outside consultants are handling this material—an approach experts say is ham-handed and cavalier at best, and harmful and re-traumatizing at worst.
—Alexandra S. Levine, Forbes, 4 Aug. 2022
Finally, to call Alito’s assessment of the ruling’s consequences for women cavalier would be charitable.
—Sue Halpern, The New York Review of Books, 25 May 2022
See All Example Sentences for cavalier
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cavalier
Adjective
-
The protests proved conclusively that Americans will not tolerate the deployment of the U.S. military in American cities, the constant line-stepping over constitutional boundaries, the arrests of political dissenters, or the arrogant defense of police-state tactics.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 June 2025
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In Aesop’s fable, the turtle (traditionally called a tortoise, which is a type of turtle) is a winner, a perpetual underdog who defeats the arrogant hare.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Noun
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Ironically, the gentleman is an elementary school principal.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
24 June 2025
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The elegant procession of gentlemen dressed in designer Simon Holloway’s modern English menswear wardrobe was transporting.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cavalier.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cavalier. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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