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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Synonym Usage

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

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Etymology

Origin of indifference

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

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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

See Examples For:

indifference

This sentiment pattern at market tops suggests that the dominant emotion leading up to market tops is exhaustion and even indifference.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office said earlier the decision had been taken over the "deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and... from the provincial government's deliberate indifference in the war against terrorism".

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

Ordinary people acquire one more linguistic choice through which to signal agreement, resistance or exhausted indifference.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

But the greatest threat they face, at least in terms of public opinion, is not outrage but indifference.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

He blamed Ron and Hermione: Their determined indifference was as bad as the relentless rain for dampening his spirits, but neither could erode his certainty, which remained absolute.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

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Related Words

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

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