Nonchalant means calm and relaxed, as if you don't care; in slang, unbothered. It's an ordinary literary word, but on social media it has become praise: being nonchalant means not showing your nerves when everyone else is worried. Unlike most slang, you can say it in IELTS Speaking and write it in an essay in its usual meaning of calm and unconcerned.
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be/act/look + nonchalant; nonchalant about + noun/-ing; a nonchalant shrug/reply
- She stayed totally nonchalant when the judges announced her name, as if she'd expected it.
- He tries to act nonchalant, but he checks his phone every two minutes for her reply.
- My brother was weirdly nonchalant about losing his keys for the third time this week.
What changed
First versionShe seemed completely nonchalant to all the criticism after her presentation.
RevisionShe seemed completely nonchalant about all the criticism after her presentation.
It's tempting to use to, as in indifferent to. But with nonchalant, the thing a person isn't worried about is introduced with about, as in worried about or relaxed about.
Nonchalant means calm on the outside: the person may care, they just don't show it. Indifferent means genuinely not caring: He was indifferent to the results and didn't even check them. In texts about dating, nonchalant can also be a complaint: He's way too nonchalant, he replies after six hours.
Your turn
Everyone was panicking before the interview, but Sam just sat there scrolling through his phone, totally ___.
Show the answer
nonchalant — Everyone is nervous, but Sam calmly scrolls through his phone without showing any worry: that's nonchalant. Careless means sloppy or not careful, and it describes someone who makes mistakes, not someone who stays calm.
Describe someone who stayed calm in a tense situation. Use nonchalant and say what the situation was.
When the fire alarm went off during our exam, my friend stayed completely nonchalant and just finished her last answer.
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