apathy

[ ap-uh-thee ]

/ ˈæp ə θi /

noun, plural ap·a·thies.

absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement.

lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting.

Also ap·a·thei·a, ap·a·thi·a

[ap-uh-thee-uh] /ˌæp əˈθi ə/. Stoicism. freedom from emotion of any kind.

Nearby words

Origin of apathy

1595–1605; (< F) < Latin apathīa < Greek apátheia insensibility to suffering, equivalent to apathe- (stem of apathḗs) unfeeling (a- a-⁶ + pathe-, variant stem of páthos pathos) + -ia -ia

SYNONYMS FOR apathy

1. coolness. 2. See indifference.

ANTONYMS FOR apathy

1. ardor, fervor.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for apatheia

apathy

/ (ˈæpəθɪ) /

noun

absence of interest in or enthusiasm for things generally considered interesting or moving

absence of emotion

Word Origin for apathy

C17: from Latin, from Greek apatheia, from apathēs without feeling, from a- 1 + pathos feeling

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for apatheia

apathy

c.1600, "freedom from suffering," from French apathie (16c.), from Latin apathia, from Greek apatheia "freedom from suffering, impassability, want of sensation," from apathes "without feeling, without suffering or having suffered," from a- "without" (see a- (3)) + pathos "emotion, feeling, suffering" (see pathos). Originally a positive quality; sense of "indolence of mind, indifference to what should excite" is from c.1733.

Medicine definitions for apatheia

apathy

[ ăp′ə-thē ]

n.

Lack of interest, concern, or emotion; indifference.