indifference

American  

[in-dif-er-uhns, -dif-ruhns] / ɪnˈdɪf ər əns, -ˈdɪf rəns /

noun

1. lack of interest or concern.

   We were shocked by their indifference toward poverty.

   Antonyms:

   responsiveness, eagerness

2. unimportance; little or no concern.

   Whether or not to attend the party is a matter of indifference to him.

3. the quality or condition of being indifferent.

4. mediocre quality; mediocrity.

5. Baseball. the absence of effort by the defense to prevent a stolen base.

   For the second time this inning, a Brewer has taken second base on indifference.

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indifference British  

/ ɪnˈdɪfrəns, -fərəns /

noun

1. the fact or state of being indifferent; lack of care or concern

2. lack of quality; mediocrity

3. lack of importance; insignificance

4. See principle of indifference

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Related Words

Indifference, unconcern, listlessness, apathy, insensibility all imply lack of feeling. Indifference denotes an absence of feeling or interest; unconcern, an absence of concern or solicitude, a calm or cool indifference in the face of what might be expected to cause uneasiness or apprehension; listlessness, an absence of inclination or interest, a languid indifference to what is going on about one; apathy, a profound intellectual and emotional indifference suggestive of faculties either naturally sluggish or dulled by emotional disturbance, mental illness, or prolonged sickness; insensibility, an absence of capacity for feeling or of susceptibility to emotional influences.

Other Word Forms

• superindifference noun

Etymology

Origin of indifference

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, variant of indifferency, from Latin indifferentia; indifferent, -ence, -ency

Explanation

Indifference is the trait of lacking interest or enthusiasm in things. When you feel indifference for something, you neither like it nor dislike it. If you are a person who feels a lot of indifference, you probably say "eh," a lot. You just don't care much. Indifference can be compared to apathy, which means "lack of concern," though apathy is a little stronger: Apathy means you don't care whether your friends call you; indifference means you don't care what movie you end up seeing — you don't have a strong preference for any of the choices.

Example Sentences

“You don’t need to use them — you just need to wear them,” a civil servant says, capturing the government’s one-size-fits-all indifference.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

The indifference only strayed into anger when some Wales fans booed forward Brennan Johnson when he came on as a second-half substitute.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Her dissent exemplifies her belief that law should be a refuge for those who, like Reed, seek to escape the abuses of power and indifference that often play out in capital cases.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026

The agency’s mindset remains: evidentiary maximalism detached from clinical reality, indifference to patient urgency, and hostility to the flexibility Congress intended.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

“You don’t know what I can do. Snow produces a glow and a tingle, if applied rightly. Your indifference is half affectation, and a good stirring up would prove it.”

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Related Words

• alienation
• apathy
• callousness
• carelessness
• disdain
• disinterest
• disregard
• inattention
• inertia
• insensitivity
• lack
• negligence
• nonchalance