Synonyms of cavalier

cavalier 1 of 2

adjective

ˌka-və-ˈlir 

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

• arrogant
• superior
• pompous
• haughty
• supercilious
• high-and-mighty
• bumptious
• important
• sniffy
• dominant
• uppity
• high-handed
• assumptive
• huffy
• imperious
• masterful
• uppish
• domineering
• presumptuous
• chesty
• pretentious
• presuming
• smug
• lordly
• authoritarian
• huffish
• overweening
• peremptory
• high-hat
• dominating
• impudent
• patronizing
• highfalutin
• toplofty
• self-assertive
• magisterial
• proud
• stiff-necked
• condescending
• bossy
• lofty
• self-asserting
• snooty
• cocky
• saucy
• snobbish
• disdainful
• pontifical
• impertinent
• vainglorious
• swaggering
• boastful
• hubristic
• snobby
• egocentric
• bombastic
• narcissistic
• blusterous
• vain
• conceited
• complacent
• blustery
• egotistic
• uninhibited
• pontificating
• egoistic
• brash
• immodest
• extroverted
• prideful
• self-centered
• self-complacent
• braggart
• unreserved
• self-satisfied
• bragging
• orgulous
• self-affected
• self-conceited
• self-flattering
• stuck-up
• braggy
• self-pleased
• self-applauding
• self-loving
• self-promoting
• forward

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• modest
• humble
• timid
• lowly
• unpretentious
• bashful
• sheepish
• shy
• diffident
• subdued
• demure
• passive
• deferential
• mousy
• shrinking
• compliant
• introverted
• acquiescent
• meek
• unassuming
• submissive
• unaggressive
• unarrogant
• unobtrusive
• overmodest
• unassertive
• yielding
• quiet
• self-doubting
• self-critical
• reserved
• cringing
• retiring
• cowering

cavalier

2 of 2

noun

as in gentleman

an honorable and courteous man

a novel about the dashing cavaliers and gracious ladies of the South before the Civil War

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gentleman
• aristocrat
• prince
• knight
• gallant
• fop
• beau
• charmer
• Galahad
• dude
• petit-maître
• patrician
• Beau Brummell
• dandy
• blade
• jay
• captivator
• swell
• blood
• ladies' man
• buck
• smoothy

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cavalier

Adjective

The fact that anyone at the top is shocked by snaking security lines at airports is of a piece with the administration’s rather cavalier approach to contingency planning. — Juliette Kayyem, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026

Each crossbreed comes from a poodle bred with a cavalier King Charles spaniel, cocker spaniel, or Labrador retriever. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026

This cavalier attitude toward urban planning has been conjoined to a disingenuousness in the discussion of City Hall’s fate. — Mark Lamster architecture Critic, Dallas Morning News, 11 Mar. 2026

Get stuck with a cavalier team of baggage handlers, and it can even get soaked in your favorite fragrance or antiaging serum. — Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2026

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