incurious

American  

[in-kyoor-ee-uhs] / ɪnˈkyʊər i əs /

adjective

1. not curious; not inquisitive or observant; inattentive; indifferent.

   Synonyms:

   unconcerned, apathetic, uninterested

2. Archaic. lacking care or attention; careless; negligent.

3. Archaic. deficient in interest or novelty.

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incurious British  

/ ɪnˈkjʊərɪəs, ɪnˌkjʊərɪˈɒsɪtɪ /

adjective

1. not curious; indifferent or uninterested

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Other Word Forms

• incuriosity noun
• incuriously adverb
• incuriousness noun

Etymology

Origin of incurious

From the Latin word incūriōsus, dating back to 1560–70. See in- ³, curious

Explanation

If you're incurious, you don't care very much or aren't interested. There's nothing more frustrating to a teacher than a classroom full of incurious students. The adjective incurious is useful for describing someone who really couldn't care less — who doesn't ask questions or wonder why or how something happens. Incurious people don't make good scientists, journalists, or researchers, because they lack curiosity, or the impulse to know more about something or someone. The roots of incurious are in-, "not," and the Latin curiosus, "inquiring eagerly."

Example Sentences

Again and again, he witnesses painful silences in public-school classrooms full of incurious young people who do not read and do not know anything about anything.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

He sounded exactly like an elderly person struggling to hide dementia, but unfortunately, that’s indistinguishable from his lifelong personality as an incurious person BSing his way through life.

From Salon • Sep. 3, 2025

It would be the very incurious, unreceptive viewer who leaves “Idea Man” without a heightened appreciation of the human and his work.

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2024

The police, in the meantime, are oddly incurious about the voluminous records of a private investigator who they know hacked phones for News of the World.

From New York Times • Mar. 11, 2024

It was easier to stay incurious as an officer.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover