indifferent

adjective

in·dif·fer·ent in-ˈdi-f(ə-)rənt How to pronounce indifferent (audio)

-fərnt

: marked by a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern for something : apathetic

indifferent to suffering and poverty

: marked by no special liking for or dislike of something

indifferent about which task he was given

: being neither good nor bad : mediocre

does indifferent work

: being neither right nor wrong

: being neither excessive nor inadequate : moderate

hills of indifferent size

: marked by impartiality : unbiased

: that does not matter one way or the other

: of no importance or value one way or the other

: characterized by lack of active quality : neutral

an indifferent chemical

: not differentiated

indifferent tissues of the human body

: capable of development in more than one direction

especially : not yet embryologically determined

indifferently adverb

Did you know?

The Many Shades of Indifferent

Many of the words in our language have more than a single meaning. In most cases we have little trouble distinguishing them; we understand, based on the context in which each is used, that the English of "the English language" is different from the English used in billiards or pool ("spin around the vertical axis deliberately imparted to a ball that is driven or rolled"). In other cases, such as with the word indifferent, it can be a bit confusing. Indifferent may mean "unbiased," "apathetic," "mediocre," "unimportant," and several other things. Some of these senses are distinguished by the words commonly used with them; the "apathetic" sense, for instance, is typically followed by the preposition to. When using indifferent in your own writing take care that the surrounding words offer your reader sufficient context to prevent confusion.

Example Sentences

It can hardly be argued, by himself or by his defenders, that he was indifferent to, or unaware of, the true situation.

Christopher Hitchens, Harper's, March 2001 … aspects of language that the earlier grammarians were indifferent to.

Geoffrey Nunberg, Atlantic, December 1983 For it is commonly said and commonly believed that science is completely neutral and indifferent as to the ends and values which move men to act …

John Dewey, Freedom and Culture, 1939 The movie was poorly received by an indifferent public. Was the food good, bad, or indifferent?

Recent Examples on the Web Many locals were indifferent to the monument; some early Internet chatter and magazine coverage helped alert tourists.

Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2022 Some would argue that the joint Allied raid of Dresden in Germany a month before Tokyo targeted — or at least was indifferent to the plight of — German civilians.

Bob Carden, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Sep. 2022 American lawyers have often defended the indefensible, worked pro bono for those who couldn’t pay them back, and kept their commitments to clients who were indifferent and sometimes even hostile to their legal advice.

Matt Ford, The New Republic, 18 Aug. 2022 Because Twitter’s policing of its users’ tweets has been indifferent and ineffectual, the platform often resembles an online version of an open sewer line.

Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2022 Find a regional manager who can strike a healthy balance between indifferent and intense: someone who can regularly plan events and draw the more shy team members out of their shells while also respecting work and personal conflicts.

Zack Dugow, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2021 Why is crypto so indifferent to such a big institutional vote of confidence?

Dan Runkevicius, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022 Bass and Caruso aren't especially well-known in Los Angeles, a city that can be fairly indifferent to local politics.

Christal Hayes, USA TODAY, 6 June 2022 But the past months have also been disorienting for those who may have been politically indifferent before now.

Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Apr. 2022 See More

单词	indifferently
释义	indifferent adjective in·dif·fer·ent in-ˈdi-f(ə-)rənt -fərnt 1 a : marked by a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern for something : apathetic indifferent to suffering and poverty b : marked by no special liking for or dislike of something indifferent about which task he was given 2 a : being neither good nor bad : mediocre does indifferent work b : being neither right nor wrong 3 : being neither excessive nor inadequate : moderate hills of indifferent size 4 : marked by impartiality : unbiased 5 a : that does not matter one way or the other b : of no importance or value one way or the other 6 : characterized by lack of active quality : neutral an indifferent chemical 7 a : not differentiated indifferent tissues of the human body b : capable of development in more than one direction especially : not yet embryologically determined indifferently adverb Did you know? The Many Shades of Indifferent Many of the words in our language have more than a single meaning. In most cases we have little trouble distinguishing them; we understand, based on the context in which each is used, that the English of "the English language" is different from the English used in billiards or pool ("spin around the vertical axis deliberately imparted to a ball that is driven or rolled"). In other cases, such as with the word indifferent, it can be a bit confusing. Indifferent may mean "unbiased," "apathetic," "mediocre," "unimportant," and several other things. Some of these senses are distinguished by the words commonly used with them; the "apathetic" sense, for instance, is typically followed by the preposition to. When using indifferent in your own writing take care that the surrounding words offer your reader sufficient context to prevent confusion. Synonyms apathetic casual complacent disinterested incurious insensible insouciant nonchalant perfunctory pococurante unconcerned uncurious uninterested See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences It can hardly be argued, by himself or by his defenders, that he was indifferent to, or unaware of, the true situation. Christopher Hitchens, Harper's, March 2001 … aspects of language that the earlier grammarians were indifferent to. Geoffrey Nunberg, Atlantic, December 1983 For it is commonly said and commonly believed that science is completely neutral and indifferent as to the ends and values which move men to act … John Dewey, Freedom and Culture, 1939 The movie was poorly received by an indifferent public. Was the food good, bad, or indifferent? Recent Examples on the Web Many locals were indifferent to the monument; some early Internet chatter and magazine coverage helped alert tourists. Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2022 Some would argue that the joint Allied raid of Dresden in Germany a month before Tokyo targeted — or at least was indifferent to the plight of — German civilians. Bob Carden, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Sep. 2022 American lawyers have often defended the indefensible, worked pro bono for those who couldn’t pay them back, and kept their commitments to clients who were indifferent and sometimes even hostile to their legal advice. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 18 Aug. 2022 Because Twitter’s policing of its users’ tweets has been indifferent and ineffectual, the platform often resembles an online version of an open sewer line. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2022 Find a regional manager who can strike a healthy balance between indifferent and intense: someone who can regularly plan events and draw the more shy team members out of their shells while also respecting work and personal conflicts. Zack Dugow, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2021 Why is crypto so indifferent to such a big institutional vote of confidence? Dan Runkevicius, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022 Bass and Caruso aren't especially well-known in Los Angeles, a city that can be fairly indifferent to local politics. Christal Hayes, USA TODAY, 6 June 2022 But the past months have also been disorienting for those who may have been politically indifferent before now. Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Apr. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin indifferent-, indifferens, from in- + different-, differens, present participle of differre to be different — more at differ First Known Use 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4 Kids Definition indifferent adjective in·dif·fer·ent in-ˈdi-fə-rənt -ˈdi-frənt 1 : not interested or concerned about something She's indifferent about your problems. 2 : neither good nor bad an indifferent performance Medical Definition indifferent adjective in·dif·fer·ent in-ˈdif-ərnt, -ˈdif-(ə-)rent 1 : having or exhibiting a lack of affect, concern, or care 2 a : not differentiated indifferent tissues of the human body b : capable of development in more than one direction especially : not yet embryologically determined indifferently adverb as in apathetically Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance apathetically perfunctorily disinterestedly impassively lukewarmly hesitantly reluctantly unwillingly aloofly incuriously Antonyms & Near Antonyms enthusiastically eagerly excitedly impatiently madly keenly warmly avidly exuberantly rhapsodically fanatically zealously rabidly sky-high See More
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indifferent

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

adjective

Medical Definition

adjective

adverb