What Does "Chalant" Mean? (And Is It a Real Word?)

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posted on 1 month ago — updated on 1 second ago

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If you can be “nonchalant” can you also just be… chalant? Is that even a word? The answer is: sort of, but not really. Or at least, you won’t find “chalant” in the dictionary, but that doesn’t stop people from using it to mean “interested, careful, or alert.” We’ll tell you more about “chalant,” why it’s not exactly a word, where “nonchalant” came from, and other unpaired words in English.

Meaning of “Chalant\"

Definition of Chalant

“Chalant” means careful, interested, engaged, or concerned in slang. When people say “chalant,” they’re using it as a sort of joke to say that they’re not nonchalant. Since "nonchalant” means to be calm, carefree, or uninterested, it follows that "chalant" would mean to be interested, enthusiastic, alert, or attentive. That said, "chalant" is only a slang word and it does not appear in the dictionary. Example: “She tries to act nonchalant about her education, but she’s actually super chalant. She cares a lot.” Example: “I’m trying to be more chalant and purposeful about how I live my life.”

Is “chalant” a real word?

“Chalant” is not an English word and does not appear in the dictionary. "Chalant" is considered to be a slang word only. The word "chalant” became popular online (especially on TikTok) after people started jokingly asking: If you can be nonchalant, can you just be chalant? We say: sure, why not? But "chalant" is not an official word in the English language. English words that seem like they should have an alternate form but don’t are sometimes called “unpaired words.”

Where did “nonchalant” come from?

“Nonchalant” comes from the French word “nonchaloir.” You’d think “chalant” must be a word in English, since “nonchalant” looks like the prefix “non-” plus the root word “chalant.” But “nonchalant” doesn’t have an English root word, and is actually taken from the French word “nonchaloir,” which means “indifferent.” Funnily enough, “nonchaloir” is in fact a version of “chaloir,” which means “to have concern.” English borrowed the modified word, “nonchaloir,” but didn’t take the root word “chaloir”! “Chaloir” is from the Latin word “calere,” which means “be hot.”

Other Unpaired Words

English has lots of words that seem like they should have partners. When a word looks like it should have another related word, but doesn’t (like “nonchalant” being a word but not “chalant”), we sometimes say it’s “unpaired.” This can happen for any number of reasons, but often because English “borrowed” a word from another language without also borrowing its related words. Here are some more unpaired words: Dejected (✓) vs. Jected (X) Disheveled (✓) vs. Sheveled (X) Disgruntled (✓) vs. Gruntled (X) Debunk (✓) vs. Bunk (X) Incognito (✓) vs. Cognito (X) Innocent (✓) vs. Nocent (X) Nondescript (✓) vs. Descript (X) Overwhelm or underwhelm (✓) vs. Whelm (X) Ruthless (✓) vs. Ruthful (X) Unkempt (✓) vs. Kempt (X) Unwieldy (✓) vs. Wieldy (X)