indifference
Americannoun
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lack of interest or concern.
We were shocked by their indifference toward poverty.
- Antonyms:
- responsiveness, eagerness
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unimportance; little or no concern.
Whether or not to attend the party is a matter of indifference to him.
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the quality or condition of being indifferent.
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mediocre quality; mediocrity.
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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.
noun
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the fact or state of being indifferent; lack of care or concern
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lack of quality; mediocrity
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lack of importance; insignificance
Related Words
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
Etymology
Origin of indifference
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, variant of indifferency, from Latin indifferentia; indifferent, -ence, -ency
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.
In answer to one of his letters accusing her of indifference, Maggie finally admitted, “know I have loved you and love you still.”
From Literature
This, I think, undermines the rude energy of Ms. Honek’s writing, and the stories often seem divided between rage and indifference.
It’s easy to throw up your hands at such knuckle-dragging indifference, and Mike told me he has to keep reaching for more stamina.
From Los Angeles Times
The answer isn’t to abolish heritage months out of impatience or indifference.
Human rights activist Kavita Srivastava says the failure to recognise the scale of the so-called honour crimes contributes to official indifference.
From BBC
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.
