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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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
“This effort suggests that they no longer trust Rubio to be a dispassionate interlocutor and want to appeal directly to the president to resolve the escalating crisis.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
We must all reexamine our beliefs in a critical and dispassionate spirit to determine whether we are apprehending reality or clinging to mental fetishes.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2025
It was constant, the only eternal thing, inscrutable, detached, dispassionate.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
