Meaning & use
carefree
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Without worries or duties weighing on your mind, so that you feel relaxed and light-hearted.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: a carefree summer, she felt carefree.
Patterns
- a carefree something
- feel carefree
The twins spent a carefree week at their grandparents' farm, chasing chickens and eating peaches.
He laughed in a carefree way, as if the exam results meant nothing.
Retirement gave her the carefree mornings she had dreamed about for decades.
Word forms
| comparative | more carefree |
|---|---|
| superlative | most carefree |
Common combinations
- carefree childhood
- They grew up in a carefree childhood by the sea.
- carefree attitude
- His carefree attitude annoyed the more anxious members of the team.
- carefree days
- We looked back fondly on our carefree days at college.
- carefree laughter
- Carefree laughter drifted over the garden fence.
- footloose and carefree
- After graduation she felt footloose and carefree.
Synonyms and how they differ
- untroubled
- Untroubled is calmer and more neutral, describing a lack of problems rather than a playful, light mood.
- easygoing
- Easygoing describes a lasting personality that does not get upset, whereas carefree often describes a passing period or mood.
- light-hearted
- Light-hearted stresses cheerfulness and humor, while carefree stresses the absence of worry or responsibility.
- happy-go-lucky
- Happy-go-lucky suggests someone who trusts to luck and may seem a little irresponsible, which carefree does not necessarily imply.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: carefree or careless?
carefree vs careless
Careless means not paying enough attention and so making mistakes; carefree only means free of worry and is usually positive.
Practice
Which word best describes a summer holiday with no duties and nothing to worry about?
Choose one answer.
Carefree means free from worry. Careless means inattentive and is a criticism, so it does not fit a pleasant, relaxed holiday.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “carefree”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.