apathy

noun

ap·a·thy ˈa-pə-thē How to pronounce apathy (audio)

: lack of feeling or emotion : impassiveness

drug abuse leading to apathy and depression

: lack of interest or concern : indifference

political apathy

Did you know?

How Apathy Differs From Impassivity and Indifference

Apathy, impassivity, and indifference all denote a lack of responsiveness to something that might normally excite interest or emotion. Apathy suggests a puzzling or deplorable inertness or lack of passion, as in “the problem of continued voter apathy.” Impassivity stresses the absence of any external sign of emotion in action or facial expression, as in “teachers frustrated by the impassivity of their students.” Indifference connotes a lack of interest in or concern about something, as in “the company’s apparent indifference to the needs of its employees.”

Did you know?

The Greek Origins of Apathy

There's no reason to be uncaring about the origins of apathy—though there is a clue to the word's beginnings in this sentence. Apathy was borrowed into English in the late 16th century from Greek apatheia, which itself comes from the adjective apathēs, meaning "without feeling." Apathēs, in turn, was formed by combining the negating prefix a- with pathos, meaning "emotion." Incidentally, if you've guessed that pathos is the source of the identically spelled noun in English (meaning either "an element in experience or in artistic representation evoking pity or compassion" or "an emotion of sympathetic pity"), you are correct. Pathos also gave us such words as antipathy, empathy, sympathy, pathetic, and even the archaic word pathematic ("emotional").

Example Sentences

That's the danger of a teeming cast of … characters: they get jumbled in the viewer's mind, and … apathy ensues. Novels can afford a rich banquet of personalities; it's what readers sign up for. But ratiocination isn't welcome in modern movies, which prefer visceral impact over intellect.

Richard Corliss, Time, 20 Oct. 2008 But short of such complete apathy, there are other neurological conditions in which the capacity for genuine emotion is compromised. One sees this in some forms of autism, in the "flat affect" of some schizophrenics. … But here, as with Harry, music can often break through, if only in a limited way or for a brief time, and release seemingly normal emotions.

Oliver Sacks, Musicophilia, 2008 According to the polls, "the American people, as opposed to some of their leaders, seek no converts to their ideology." And they are not "cultural imperialists." Maybe not. But this reserve seems grounded less in humility (60 percent of Americans consider their culture "superior to others") than in apathy.

Robert Wright, New York Times Book Review, 14 May 2006 The result could well be further inequality of political information, with avid followers of politics becoming ever more knowledgeable while the rest of the public slips deeper into political apathy.

Martin P. Wattenberg, Atlantic, October 1998 People have shown surprising apathy toward these important social problems. People have shown a surprising apathy toward these problems. See More

Recent Examples on the Web The government has been criticized for several lynchings of Muslims by Hindu mobs with police indifference and judicial apathy over the past years.

Ahmet T. Kuru, The Conversation, 12 June 2022 Reversing apathy in a sport already lacking new enthusiasm is akin to a magic trick.

Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 5 May 2022 People look the other way out of apathy or complicity—or fear.

Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2022 For some booster-shy Americans, though, the fact that the current offerings had grown dated was the source of their apathy.

Benjamin Mueller, BostonGlobe.com, 4 July 2022 The prospect of public apathy is already deeply vexing the establishment.

Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 9 June 2022 This modern mass apathy is a far cry from the Stoic’s aspirational apatheia.

Marion Renault, The New Republic, 21 Jan. 2022 In the face of this apathy, Obama expanded DACA two years later while also instituting the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents program (DAPA).

Michael Bobelian, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2022 But our apathy also seems related to a pandemic malaise—an inability or unwillingness to devote more cognitive and material resources to a problem that refuses to leave us alone.

Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 23 May 2022 See More

单词	apathy
释义	apathy noun ap·a·thy ˈa-pə-thē 1 : lack of feeling or emotion : impassiveness drug abuse leading to apathy and depression 2 : lack of interest or concern : indifference political apathy Did you know? How Apathy Differs From Impassivity and Indifference Apathy, impassivity, and indifference all denote a lack of responsiveness to something that might normally excite interest or emotion. Apathy suggests a puzzling or deplorable inertness or lack of passion, as in “the problem of continued voter apathy.” Impassivity stresses the absence of any external sign of emotion in action or facial expression, as in “teachers frustrated by the impassivity of their students.” Indifference connotes a lack of interest in or concern about something, as in “the company’s apparent indifference to the needs of its employees.” Did you know? The Greek Origins of Apathy There's no reason to be uncaring about the origins of apathy—though there is a clue to the word's beginnings in this sentence. Apathy was borrowed into English in the late 16th century from Greek apatheia, which itself comes from the adjective apathēs, meaning "without feeling." Apathēs, in turn, was formed by combining the negating prefix a- with pathos, meaning "emotion." Incidentally, if you've guessed that pathos is the source of the identically spelled noun in English (meaning either "an element in experience or in artistic representation evoking pity or compassion" or "an emotion of sympathetic pity"), you are correct. Pathos also gave us such words as antipathy, empathy, sympathy, pathetic, and even the archaic word pathematic ("emotional"). Synonyms affectlessness emotionlessness impassiveness impassivity insensibility numbness phlegm See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences That's the danger of a teeming cast of … characters: they get jumbled in the viewer's mind, and … apathy ensues. Novels can afford a rich banquet of personalities; it's what readers sign up for. But ratiocination isn't welcome in modern movies, which prefer visceral impact over intellect. Richard Corliss, Time, 20 Oct. 2008 But short of such complete apathy, there are other neurological conditions in which the capacity for genuine emotion is compromised. One sees this in some forms of autism, in the "flat affect" of some schizophrenics. … But here, as with Harry, music can often break through, if only in a limited way or for a brief time, and release seemingly normal emotions. Oliver Sacks, Musicophilia, 2008 According to the polls, "the American people, as opposed to some of their leaders, seek no converts to their ideology." And they are not "cultural imperialists." Maybe not. But this reserve seems grounded less in humility (60 percent of Americans consider their culture "superior to others") than in apathy. Robert Wright, New York Times Book Review, 14 May 2006 The result could well be further inequality of political information, with avid followers of politics becoming ever more knowledgeable while the rest of the public slips deeper into political apathy. Martin P. Wattenberg, Atlantic, October 1998 People have shown surprising apathy toward these important social problems. People have shown a surprising apathy toward these problems. See More Recent Examples on the Web The government has been criticized for several lynchings of Muslims by Hindu mobs with police indifference and judicial apathy over the past years. Ahmet T. Kuru, The Conversation, 12 June 2022 Reversing apathy in a sport already lacking new enthusiasm is akin to a magic trick. Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 5 May 2022 People look the other way out of apathy or complicity—or fear. Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2022 For some booster-shy Americans, though, the fact that the current offerings had grown dated was the source of their apathy. Benjamin Mueller, BostonGlobe.com, 4 July 2022 The prospect of public apathy is already deeply vexing the establishment. Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 9 June 2022 This modern mass apathy is a far cry from the Stoic’s aspirational apatheia. Marion Renault, The New Republic, 21 Jan. 2022 In the face of this apathy, Obama expanded DACA two years later while also instituting the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents program (DAPA). Michael Bobelian, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2022 But our apathy also seems related to a pandemic malaise—an inability or unwillingness to devote more cognitive and material resources to a problem that refuses to leave us alone. Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 23 May 2022 See More Word History Etymology borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French apathie, borrowed from Latin apathīa, borrowed from Greek apatheîa, noun derivative of apathḗs "not suffering, without passion or feeling, impassive," from a- a- entry 2 + -pathēs, adjective derivative of páthos "experience, misfortune, emotion" — more at pathos First Known Use 1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Kids Definition apathy noun ap·a·thy ˈa-pə-thē : lack of feeling or of interest : indifference The trip was canceled because of student apathy. Medical Definition apathy noun ap·a·thy ˈap-ə-thē plural apathies : lack of feeling or emotion apathy noun 1 as in numbness a lack of emotion or emotional expressiveness the apathy of the people of that war-torn country comes from their having seen too many horrors Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance numbness impassivity impassiveness emotionlessness indifference coldness insensibility phlegm emptiness callousness affectlessness heartlessness detachment obduracy deadness blankness unconcern bloodlessness insensitivity imperturbability coolness hardness halfheartedness hard-heartedness aloofness stiffness callosity vacancy woodenness Antonyms & Near Antonyms emotion feeling sympathy sensibility empathy compassion pity sensitivity hysteria receptivity understanding responsiveness warmth receptiveness solicitude tenderness melodrama histrionics vehemence hysterics hand-wringing See More 2 as in disregard lack of interest or concern her poor grades are proof enough of her apathy concerning all matters academic Synonyms & Similar Words disregard indifference unconcern nonchalance insouciance casualness incuriosity complacence torpor lethargy lukewarmness disinterestedness tepidity unawareness carelessness tepidness recklessness heedlessness incuriousness coldness callousness halfheartedness dispassion stoicism impassivity impassiveness aloofness stolidity detachment bloodlessness insensitivity listlessness hard-heartedness phlegm hardness callosity cool Antonyms & Near Antonyms interest concern awareness curiosity regard prejudice attentiveness attention sensitivity bias keenness conscientiousness zeal partiality desire warmth vehemence ardor passion heedfulness warmheartedness fervency See More
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apathy

noun

Did you know?

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

noun

Medical Definition

noun

noun