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.
Synonym Usage
See fair 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disinterested
First recorded in 1605–15; dis- 1 + interested
Explanation
If you can't decide whether to purchase the shirt with orange polka dots or the purple paisley-patterned one, you might seek input from a disinterested, or unbiased, party (who will probably tell you not to buy either one). Depending on whom you ask, disinterested is either one of the most commonly misused words in the English language, or a perfect example of usage experts and English teachers being way too uptight. While everyone agrees that disinterested can mean “unbiased,” the debate rages on as to whether it can also mean “uninterested” or “indifferent.” Sticklers are vehemently opposed to this secondary meaning. (Of course, you’ll also find the disinterested — or uninterested? — folks who couldn’t care less.)
Vocabulary lists containing disinterested
The Bluest Eye
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Commonly Confused Words, List 3
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Theodore Roosevelt on "The Man with the Muck Rake" (1906)
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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.
Yass is no disinterested party — according to Forbes, he’s worth $67.4 billion.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
The disinterested world that surrounds them, and to which they are oblivious, is glorious.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
Peter Henriques, an admirer of Washington who has recently published two insightful books on his character, writes that Washington “was not a ‘selfless’ man or one who was simply engaging in disinterested service.
From Slate ● Feb. 16, 2026
Headstrong, queer and disinterested in Victorian pieties, she escaped her smothering Indianapolis family and headed to Chicago, where she hustled work as a bookseller and book reviewer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025
The other kids in the class fidgeted, and even Mr. Roberts stopped every so often to dab at his forehead with an off-white handkerchief before continuing to lecture the disinterested, overheated students about biodiversity.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
