indifferent

[ in-dif-er-uhnt, -dif-ruhnt ]

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.
3. neither good nor bad in character or quality; average; routine:

   an indifferent specimen.

4. not particularly good, important, etc.; unremarkable; unnotable:

   an indifferent success; an indifferent performance.

   Synonyms: commonplace, uninspired, undistinguished, mediocre

5. of only moderate amount, extent, etc.
6. not making a difference, or mattering, one way or the other.
7. immaterial or unimportant.
8. not essential or obligatory, as an observance.
9. making no difference or distinction, as between persons or things:

   indifferent justice.

10. neutral in chemical, electric, or magnetic quality.
11. 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.

indifferent

/ ɪnˈdɪfrənt; -fərənt /

adjective

1. often foll by to showing no care or concern; uninterested

   he was indifferent to my pleas

2. unimportant; immaterial
3. 1. of only average or moderate size, extent, quality, etc
   2. not at all good; poor
4. showing or having no preferences; impartial
5. biology
   1. (of cells or tissues) not differentiated or specialized
   2. (of a species) not found in any particular community

Derived Forms

• inˈdifferently, adverb

Other Words From

• 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of indifferent¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of indifferent¹

C14: from Latin indifferēns making no distinction

Example Sentences

They appeared to be indifferent to the world-historical events that were happening that day and night.

From Salon

Soon enough it will come time for Trump, a superlative self-promoter and indifferent executive, to deliver on his many extravagant promises.

From Los Angeles Times

“I wanted to be a part of history — good, bad or indifferent,” said Camille Thelemaque, 38, a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, a historically Black institution.

From Los Angeles Times

From your clinical point of view, how are you making sense of the many tens of millions of Americans who are either indifferent, disinterested or don't care about what is an existential election, one that will literally impact their lives, safety, security and prosperity?

From Salon

With Fernando, something different happened: People from Mexico, Central America, South America who were totally indifferent to baseball suddenly became baseball fans to the point that the Dodgers created an incredible fan base with extraordinary economic power.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aloof
• apathetic
• callous
• detached
• diffident
• disinterested
• distant
• haughty
• heartless
• impartial
• impervious
• inattentive
• neutral
• nonchalant
• uncaring
• unconcerned
• uninvolved
• unresponsive
• unsympathetic