indifference
Americannoun
-
lack of interest or concern.
We were shocked by their indifference toward poverty.
- Antonyms:
- responsiveness, eagerness
-
unimportance; little or no concern.
Whether or not to attend the party is a matter of indifference to him.
-
the quality or condition of being indifferent.
-
mediocre quality; mediocrity.
-
Baseball. the absence of effort by the defense to prevent a stolen base.
For the second time this inning, a Brewer has taken second base on indifference.
noun
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the fact or state of being indifferent; lack of care or concern
-
lack of quality; mediocrity
-
lack of importance; insignificance
Synonym Usage
Indifference, unconcern, listlessness, apathy, insensibility all imply lack of feeling. Indifference denotes an absence of feeling or interest; unconcern, an absence of concern or solicitude, a calm or cool indifference in the face of what might be expected to cause uneasiness or apprehension; listlessness, an absence of inclination or interest, a languid indifference to what is going on about one; apathy, a profound intellectual and emotional indifference suggestive of faculties either naturally sluggish or dulled by emotional disturbance, mental illness, or prolonged sickness; insensibility, an absence of capacity for feeling or of susceptibility to emotional influences.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of indifference
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, variant of indifferency, from Latin indifferentia; see origin at indifferent, -ence, -ency
Explanation
Indifference is the trait of lacking interest or enthusiasm in things. When you feel indifference for something, you neither like it nor dislike it. If you are a person who feels a lot of indifference, you probably say "eh," a lot. You just don't care much. Indifference can be compared to apathy, which means "lack of concern," though apathy is a little stronger: Apathy means you don't care whether your friends call you; indifference means you don't care what movie you end up seeing — you don't have a strong preference for any of the choices.
Vocabulary lists containing indifference
A Raisin in the Sun
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"The Perils of Indifference," Vocabulary from the speech
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Hamilton
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Indifference makes you an accomplice," he told the guests from the West's diplomatic and defence elites.
From BBC • Feb. 26, 2022
Indifference and hostility are different problems Small, toxic sites pose different issues.
From The Verge • Feb. 8, 2021
A: Indifference is a fairly understandable response, given the situation you’ve described.
From Slate • Sep. 18, 2017
Indifference was the enemy, she said, with all the warmth of a headmaster.
From Washington Post • Mar. 11, 2016
Indifference to one’s neighbor and his troubles is a conditioned reflex in life in New York as it is in other big cities.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
