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When you act with abandon, you give in to the impulse of the moment and behave in a wild, uncontrolled way.
If your behavior or manner is altruistic, you show you care more about other people and their interests than you care about yourself.
Apathy is a lack of interest or unenthusiastic involvement in an activity; there is no effort to change or improve it at all.
The adjective blithe indicates that someone does something casually or in a carefree fashion without much concern for the end result; as a result, they are happy and lighthearted.
Bonhomie is a friendly feeling among a group of people.
A cursory examination or reading of something is very quick, incomplete, and does not pay close attention to detail.
A man who is debonair is sophisticated, charming, friendly, and confident.
Someone does something in a disinterested way when they have no personal involvement or attachment to the action.
Someone who is ebullient is filled with enthusiasm, very happy, and extremely excited about something.
An effervescent individual is lively, very happy, and enthusiastic.
When a person is being flippant, they are not taking something as seriously as they should be; therefore, they tend to dismiss things they should respectfully pay attention to.
To handle an object gingerly is to be careful and cautious with it.
When you heed another’s wishes, you are mindful of them and therefore give them your full attention.
If someone is impassive, they are not showing any emotion.
When it is imperative that something be done, it is absolutely necessary or very important that it be accomplished.
If you are indifferent about something, you are uninterested or neutral about it, not caring either in a positive or negative way.
If you do something in a lackadaisical way, you do it carelessly and without putting much effort into it—thereby showing that you are not really interested in what you’re doing.
A languid person is slow, relaxed, and shows little energy or interest in doing anything.
Largess is the generous act of giving money or presents to a large number of people.
Lassitude is a state of tiredness, lack of energy, and having little interest in what’s going on around you.
If you are lethargic, you are tired, lack energy, and are unwilling to exert effort.
When you are listless, you lack energy and interest and are unwilling to exert any effort.
If someone exhibits magnanimity towards another, they show them kindness and noble generosity, especially after defeating them in battle or after having been treated badly by them.
If you are methodical while doing a task, you use a logical and organized system to complete it.
Someone is considered meticulous when they act with careful attention to detail.
A munificent person is extremely generous, especially with money.
A neurotic person is too anxious or worried about events in everyday life.
Someone who is nonchalant is very relaxed and appears not to be worried about anything.
If you are oblivious to something that is happening, you do not notice it.
A perfunctory action is done with little care or interest; consequently, it is only completed because it is expected of someone to do so.
Philanthropy is unselfish support in the form of donating money, work, or gifts to positive social purposes; philanthropy is also overall love for humans in general.
Someone who is phlegmatic stays calm and unemotional even in dangerous or exciting situations.
When you are piqued by something, either your curiosity is aroused by it or you feel resentment or anger towards it.
Probity is very moral and honest behavior.
To be punctilious is to pay precise attention to detail.
A scrupulous person takes great care to do everything in an extremely honest, conscientious, and fair manner.
If your body is affected by torpor, you are severely lacking in energy; therefore, you are idle—and can even be numb.
Trenchant comments or criticisms are expressed forcefully, directly, and clearly, even though they may be hurtful to the receiver.
If you are being wary about a situation, you are being careful, cautious, or on your guard because you are concerned about something.
Noun
insouciance
in-SOO-see-uhns
Context
At first glance, every action of young Hollywood stars is marked by a carefree attitude or insouciance. Glancing through the current tabloids, one might be overwhelmed by the beautiful, young, and wealthy people who remain insouciant or unconcerned about the cares of the population at large. Not all celebrities have such a cheerful insouciance or lack of sensitivity, however, as some stars use their fame to do good in the world.
Quiz:Try again!
How might you describe someone whose personality is characterized by insouciance?
Accusatory of everyone around them of trying to cause them harm.
Indifferent and unbothered even in dangerous or risky situations.
Completely self-absorbed with their own problems and worries.
Foot inSushi I can't believe that Vance showed no concern at all when he stuck his foot in the sushi on the sushi bar--what insouciance by Vance!
Examples
Something odd has happened to the debate about the housing market and the economy. As the chances of an imminent fall in house prices have risen, there is increasing insouciance about the likely impact on the economy.
—
The Economist
Part Jasper Johns painting, part hipster insouciance, the classic shoes have now been faded, beaten and scuffed as if they've been marching for causes since before you were born.
—
The Washington Post
"Records don't drive me," Griffey says. "I'm going to do whatever I can to help the team. Plain and simple. It doesn't matter what numbers you put up, the most important ones are in the won-lost column." Such a lack of self-indulgence is no surprise, coming from someone who still plays with the insouciance of a child in a pickup game.
—
Sports Illustrated
As his international career began to take off in the '60s, and to soar in the '70s, there were questions about Pavarotti's discipline and dynamism. . . . Whatever insouciance Pavarotti may have shown behind the scenes, his stage performances dazzled opera fans from La Scala to Covent Garden to New York’s Metropolitan Opera, where in 1972 he received a whopping 17 curtain calls after one performance.
—
USA Today
If one exhibits insouciance about a worrisome situation, one has the “state or condition of not being troubled, worried, or anxious” about it when one should be.
Word Theater
Bobby McFerrin Insouciance is a part of those people's lives who don't worry about anything at all!
The panel shows a small video clip of either the word in actual use or a scene that represents the meaning of a word. This not only breaks up the monotony of studying words but also provides another avenue to strengthen word meaning. Enjoy!
Word Constellation
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Related Words
abandon ·
apathy ·
blithe ·
cursory ·
disinterested ·
flippant ·
impassive ·
indifferent+ ·
lackadaisical ·
languid ·
lassitude ·
lethargic ·
listless ·
nonchalant ·
oblivious ·
perfunctory ·
phlegmatic ·
torpor ·
altruistic ·
bonhomie ·
debonair ·
ebullient ·
effervescent ·
gingerly+ ·
heed+ ·
imperative+ ·
largess ·
magnanimity ·
methodical+ ·
meticulous ·
munificent ·
neurotic+ ·
philanthropy ·
pique+ ·
probity ·
punctilious ·
scrupulous ·
trenchant ·
wary+ ·
Similar sense
Opposite sense
Word Variants
insouciant
adj
→
not concerned or caring
The section lists important variants and alternate definitions of the headword. Knowing variants will often help you both remember and understand the word. Not all variants are listed - only the ones we think that are important for you to know.
