Cavalier

 WORD OF THE DAY

cavalier / adjective / kav-uh-LEER

Definition:
1: marked by or given to offhand and often disdainful dismissal of important matters
2: debonair
3a (capitalized): of or relating to the party of Charles I of England in his struggles with the Puritans and Parliament
3b: aristocratic
3c (capitalized): of or relating to the English Cavalier poets of the mid-17th century
4: a gentleman trained in arms and horsemanship
5a: a mounted soldier
5b: knight
6a: a lady's escort or dancing partner
6b: gallant

Examples
"Another surprisingly common problem is grant applications that are poorly written. In some cases, poor writing can make your argument difficult to comprehend, and it certainly suggests a cavalier attitude to the process."
— Michelle Havich, The American City & County (Atlanta, Georgia), 12 Aug. 2021

The action begins with an almost careless, cavalier suicide by a young subway worker whose wife, Annie, is pregnant with their first child.
— Mary Gordon, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2017

Did You Know?
According to a dictionary prepared by Thomas Blount in 1656, a cavalier was "a knight or gentleman, serving on horseback, a man of arms."
That meaning is true to the history of the noun, which traces back to the Late Latin word caballarius, meaning "horseman."
By around 1600, it had also come to denote "a roistering, swaggering fellow." In the 1640s, English Puritans applied it disdainfully to their adversaries, the swashbuckling Royalist followers of Charles I, who sported longish hair and swords.
Although some thought those cavaliers "several sorts of Malignant Men,… ready to commit all manner of Outrage and Violence," others saw them as quite suave—which may explain why cavalier can be either complimentary or a bit insulting.