cavalier Definition
cava·lier (kav′ə lir′)
noun
- an armed horseman; knight
- a gallant or courteous gentleman, esp. one serving as a lady's escort
- a partisan of Charles I of England in his struggles with Parliament (1641-49); Royalist
Etymology: Fr < It cavaliere < LL caballarius < L caballus, horse; akin to Gr kaballēs; prob. < native name in Asia Minor
adjective
- of the Cavaliers
- associated with the court of Charles I of England Cavalier poets
- free and easy
- casual or indifferent toward matters of some importance
- haughty; arrogant; supercilious
cavalier Related Forms
cav′a·lier′ly adverb
cav′a·lier′·ness noun
cavalier Synonyms
cavalier
modif.
cavalier Synonyms
cavalier
n.
Horseman
cavalryman, rider, man-at-arms; see knight.Gentleman
gallant, escort, man of honor; see aristocrat, escort, gentleman 1.
cavalier Usage Examples
Preposition: with
fact: We have also identified stories that were cavalier with the facts - remember ' Swan Bake ' ?
Modifies a noun
- disregard: The system which has seen cavalier disregard of immigration rules become the norm in the Home office.
- attitude: Neither I nor the ABD has " a cavalier attitude " toward the Highway Code.
- fashion: What qualifies him to dismiss my article in such a cavalier fashion?
- manner: Who taught you to drink in such a cavalier manner?
- approach: I normally have a cavalier approach to red tape.
- treatment: Such a cavalier treatment of a state greatly angered the German princes.
Modifying Another Word
- remarkably: His own use of evidence in the field of religion is, given his general insistence on its importance, remarkably cavalier.
- somewhat: Eager, or perhaps desperate to land that first client, we can be somewhat cavalier about our own safety.
- rather: For some reason that triggered a rather cavalier attitude toward food for the rest of the day.
- too: He is, however, rather too cavalier about the power of speech to harm.
- so: So cavalier was the approach that there were many more birds than students.
- apparently: Numerous bad practices were highlighted, including an apparently cavalier regard for the verification of ballot papers.
Browse dictionary entries near cavalier
- ‹ cavalcade
- ‹ Cavafy
- ‹ cav
- ‹ Cauvery
- ‹ cautiously
- ‹ cautious
- ‹ cautionary instruction
- ‹ cautionary
- ‹ caution
- ‹ cautery
- cavalla ›
- cavalry ›
- Cavan ›
- cavatina ›
- cave ›
- cave canem ›
- cave-in ›
- cave man ›
- caveat ›
- caveat emptor ›

