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
-
(often foll by to) showing no care or concern; uninterested
he was indifferent to my pleas
-
unimportant; immaterial
-
-
of only average or moderate size, extent, quality, etc
-
not at all good; poor
-
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showing or having no preferences; impartial
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biology
-
(of cells or tissues) not differentiated or specialized
-
(of a species) not found in any particular community
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Other Word Forms
- indifferently adverb
- quasi-indifferent adjective
- quasi-indifferently adverb
- superindifferent adjective
- superindifferently adverb
Etymology
Origin of indifferent
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (adjective), from Latin indifferent-, stem of indifferēns; equivalent to in- 3 + different
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.
"He was a nice, cheerful guy, always coming over to say hello, never indifferent, always joking around," 17-year-old Valerio told AFP, describing him as "a great guy, good in school too, really a good person".
From Barron's
Another dreaded doctor visits because she felt she had to act indifferent about weight-loss options.
"To be moved by the plight of dolphins and yet be indifferent to the deaths of migrants in the Mediterranean - what degree of cynicism is that?" asked Green MP Sandrine Rousseau on social media.
From BBC
Despite the wicket helping the bowlers, Vaughan felt "indifferent batting" contributed to the low scores, with "question marks" over the technique of modern players.
From BBC
Her remaining family are too busy or indifferent to visit.
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.
