dispassionate
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dispassionate
First recorded in 1585–95; dis- 1 + passionate
Explanation
Dispassionate describes someone who is not getting carried away by — or maybe not even having — feelings. It's something you'd want to see in a surgeon, who keeps cool under pressure, but not in a romantic partner. Dispassionate is the opposite of passionate, and while passions are said to run "hot," dispassionate people are often described as "cold." Many people think that a judge should be dispassionate when deciding a case — unaffected by strong emotions or preconceived prejudices.
Vocabulary lists containing dispassionate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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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.
Its detached, dispassionate approach vaguely recalls the work of another Kurosawa: Akira, who turned 75 shortly before releasing his late-career stunner “Ran.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Rather than reacting emotionally, though, those at the top have sought to address what has gone wrong with the help of thorough, dispassionate analysis.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
Under the direction of Sarah Frankcom, the actors inflect the dialogue with welcome variety, although the overall tone remains firmly dispassionate and emotionally colorless, as befits the dialogue’s cool tone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
But a large part of pursuing a major medical breakthrough is separating science from pseudoscience in order to allow the scientific process to proceed with its dispassionate methods.
From Slate ● Dec. 19, 2025
Soon I was floating on a sea of dispassionate calm.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
