disinterested
Americanadjective
-
unbiased by personal interest or advantage; not influenced by selfish motives.
a disinterested decision by the referee.
- Synonyms:
- dispassionate, unprejudiced, neutral, impartial
-
not interested; indifferent.
adjective
-
free from bias or partiality; objective
-
not interested
Usage
Many people consider that the use of disinterested to mean not interested is incorrect and that uninterested should be used
Commonly Confused
Disinterested and uninterested share a confused and confusing history. Disinterested was originally used to mean “not interested, indifferent”; uninterested in its earliest use meant “impartial.” By various developmental twists, disinterested is now used in both senses. Uninterested is used mainly in the sense “not interested, indifferent.” It is occasionally used to mean “not having a personal or property interest.” Many object to the use of disinterested to mean “not interested, indifferent.” They insist that disinterested can mean only “impartial”: A disinterested observer is the best judge of behavior. However, both senses are well established in all varieties of English, and the sense intended is almost always clear from the context.
Related Words
See fair 1.
Other Word Forms
- disinterestedly adverb
- disinterestedness noun
- nondisinterested adjective
Etymology
Origin of disinterested
First recorded in 1605–15; dis- 1 + interested
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.
For a team with everything to play for, the Kings looked distracted and disinterested.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026
In ‘Critique of Judgment,’ Immanuel Kant argues that taste—the discerning appreciation of the beautiful and good—requires the critic to remain disinterested, unmoved by their own feelings of delight or aversion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
Private equity, hedge funds, venture capital: For ambitious and high-functioning individuals, making morally disinterested, data-driven strategic decisions is the most obvious path to wealth and status.
From Slate • Jul. 10, 2025
Miedema can sometimes look disinterested, or seem uninvolved, but that's just how she plays - it means she is sometimes underestimated, when she is always dangerous.
From BBC • Jul. 6, 2025
A good umpire should be disinterested, said Casey, but most certainly not uninterested.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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.
