indifferent
Americanadjective
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without interest or concern; not caring; apathetic.
his indifferent attitude toward the suffering of others.
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having no bias, prejudice, or preference; impartial; disinterested.
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neither good nor bad in character or quality; average; routine.
an indifferent specimen.
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not particularly good, important, etc.; unremarkable; unnotable.
an indifferent success; an indifferent performance.
- Synonyms:
- commonplace, uninspired, undistinguished, mediocre
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of only moderate amount, extent, etc.
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not making a difference, or mattering, one way or the other.
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immaterial or unimportant.
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not essential or obligatory, as an observance.
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making no difference or distinction, as between persons or things.
indifferent justice.
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neutral in chemical, electric, or magnetic quality.
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Biology. not differentiated or specialized, as cells or tissues.
noun
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an ethically or morally indifferent act.
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a person who is indifferent, especially in matters of religion or politics.
adverb
adjective
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(often foll by to) showing no care or concern; uninterested
he was indifferent to my pleas
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unimportant; immaterial
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of only average or moderate size, extent, quality, etc
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not at all good; poor
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showing or having no preferences; impartial
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biology
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(of cells or tissues) not differentiated or specialized
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(of a species) not found in any particular community
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of indifferent
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (adjective), from Latin indifferent-, stem of indifferēns; equivalent to in- 3 + different
Explanation
If you're indifferent about something, you don't care much about it one way or another. You might feel indifferent about politics, changing the channel whenever the TV news comes on. People seem indifferent when they're obviously unconcerned — an indifferent observer of a tennis match is clearly not rooting for either player, and an indifferent voter might choose a candidate at the last minute by flipping a coin. A slightly less common meaning of indifferent is "unbiased or impartial," which you can see in its root, the Old French indifferent, or "impartial." In this sense of the word, we all hope our laws and legal system are indifferent.
Vocabulary lists containing indifferent
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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.
His work is often described as Kafkaesque, and it is true that his clerks, like the characters of Franz Kafka, are trapped in a bizarre world of senseless rules under a cold and indifferent authority.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Arsenal were one game away from the dream double of Premier League and Champions League last season, even with the brilliance of Martin Odegaard diminished by injuries and indifferent form.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Companies that grant lots of stock options can be indifferent because they want to soak up those cheaply issued shares.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
I was surprised by how indifferent he sounded about the entire ordeal.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
I felt sorry for Mother—very, very sorry—because for the first time in my life I noticed she wasn’t indifferent to my coldness.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
