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.
I was surprised by how indifferent he sounded about the entire ordeal.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
But from his time inside, he said, he believes probation officials are indifferent to the health of the youths in their care.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Babies are indifferent to most tourist attractions, even if there’s lots for families to do in Door County.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Their latest indifferent performance will only serve to raise more questions than answers.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
He seemed so peaceful, so indifferent to everything that she decided to release him.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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.
