What does "cavalier" mean?
A military man serving on horse, (chiefly) early modern cavalry officers who had abandoned the heavy armor of medieval knights.
Cavalier
/ˌkævəˈlɪɚ/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A military man serving on horse, (chiefly) early modern cavalry officers who had abandoned the heavy armor of medieval knights.
- Grammar: cavalier is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: royalist, abrupt, aggressive, amoroso.
- Useful contrasts: cromwellian, wholehearted, boorish.
- Usage evidence: Many drivers have a cavalier attitude towards the rules of the road.
How to use "cavalier"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cavalier" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cavalier" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cavalier" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cavalier" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cavalier" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "royalist" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cavalier", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A military man serving on horse, (chiefly) early modern cavalry officers who had abandoned the heavy armor of medieval knights. historical
- 2 A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
- 3 a royalist supporter of Charles I during the English Civil War wordnet
- 4 A gallant: a sprightly young dashing military man. historical
- 5 A Chevrolet Cavalier.
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 a gallant or courtly gentleman wordnet
- 7 A gentleman of the class of such officers, particularly
- 8 A gentleman of the class of such officers; A courtesan or noble under Charles I of England, particularly a royalist partisan during the English Civil War which ended his reign. historical
- 9 Someone with an uncircumcised penis. slang
"The roundheads in the school showers easily equalled the cavaliers."
- 10 A defensive work rising from a bastion, etc., and overlooking the surrounding area.
Verb
- 1 Of a man: to act in a gallant and dashing manner toward (women). dated, transitive
"His social and kind nature is inferred from his cavaliering the ladies Percy and Mortimer, and introducing them, before their husbands depart for the war."
Adjective
- 1 Lacking the proper care or concern for something important, reckless, rash, high-handed.
"But, on the following day, no sign of Poirot. I was getting angry. He was really treating us in the most cavalier fashion."
- 2 High-spirited.
- 3 Supercilious.
- 4 Free and easy; unconcerned with formalities obsolete
"Leporello (a surname that proved the antechamber not to be wholly illiterate), far from resembling Don Juan’s trembling valet, was a handsome young man, with an animated face, nimble in gait, and of cavalier manners; wearing elegantly enough the clothes which had, doubtless, appertained to his master; and evidently quite the pet of the ladies present, and paying assiduous court to Mademoiselle Astarté, the queen of the party."
- 5 Of or pertaining to the party of King Charles I of England (1600–1649). historical
Adjective
- 1 given to haughty disregard of others wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A small city, the county seat of Pembina County, North Dakota, United States.
Example
"Many drivers have a cavalier attitude towards the rules of the road."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cavalier"?
Common synonyms include: royalist, abrupt, aggressive, amoroso, arrogant, bachelor.
How do you use "cavalier" in a sentence?
Many drivers have a cavalier attitude towards the rules of the road.
How do you pronounce "cavalier"?
Pronounced /ˌkævəˈlɪɚ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
First appears c. 1562 in a translation by Peter Whitehorne. Borrowed from Middle French cavalier (“horseman”), itself borrowed from Old Italian cavaliere (“mounted soldier, knight”), borrowed from Old Occitan cavalier, from Late Latin caballārius (“horseman”), from Latin caballus (“horse”), probably from Gaulish caballos 'nag', variant of cabillos (compare Welsh ceffyl, Breton kefel, Irish capall), akin to German (Swabish) Kōb 'nag' and Old Church Slavonic кобꙑла (kobyla) 'mare'. Previous English forms include cavalero and cavaliero. Doublet of caballero and chevalier.
Etymology 2
Named after Charles Cavileer, an early settler.
Etymology 3
Abbreviations.