indifferent

[ in-dif-er-uhnt, -dif-ruhnt ]
See synonyms for: indifferentindifferently on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. without interest or concern; not caring; apathetic: his indifferent attitude toward the suffering of others.

  2. having no bias, prejudice, or preference; impartial; disinterested.

  1. neither good nor bad in character or quality; average; routine: an indifferent specimen.

  2. not particularly good, important, etc.; unremarkable; unnotable: an indifferent success; an indifferent performance.

  3. of only moderate amount, extent, etc.

  4. not making a difference, or mattering, one way or the other.

  5. immaterial or unimportant.

  6. not essential or obligatory, as an observance.

  7. making no difference or distinction, as between persons or things: indifferent justice.

  8. neutral in chemical, electric, or magnetic quality.

  9. Biology. not differentiated or specialized, as cells or tissues.

noun
  1. an ethically or morally indifferent act.

  2. a person who is indifferent, especially in matters of religion or politics.

adverb
  1. Archaic. indifferently: I am indifferent well.

Origin of indifferent

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (adjective), from Latin indifferent-, stem of indifferēns; equivalent to in-3 + different

Other words for indifferent

Other words from indifferent

  • in·dif·fer·ent·ly, adverb
  • qua·si-in·dif·fer·ent, adjective
  • qua·si-in·dif·fer·ent·ly, adverb
  • su·per·in·dif·fer·ent, adjective
  • su·per·in·dif·fer·ent·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use indifferent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for indifferent

indifferent

/ (ɪnˈdɪfrənt, -fərənt) /


adjective
  1. (often foll by to) showing no care or concern; uninterested: he was indifferent to my pleas

  2. unimportant; immaterial

    • of only average or moderate size, extent, quality, etc

    • not at all good; poor

  1. showing or having no preferences; impartial

  2. biology

    • (of cells or tissues) not differentiated or specialized

    • (of a species) not found in any particular community

Origin of indifferent

1
C14: from Latin indifferēns making no distinction

Derived forms of indifferent

  • indifferently, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012