indifference

[ in-dif-er-uhns, -dif-ruhns ]

noun

1. lack of interest or concern:

   We were shocked by their indifference toward poverty.

   Antonyms: eagerness, responsiveness

2. unimportance; little or no concern:

   Whether or not to attend the party is a matter of indifference to him.

3. the quality or condition of being indifferent.
4. mediocre quality; mediocrity.
5. 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.

indifference

/ ɪnˈdɪfrəns; -fərəns /

noun

1. the fact or state of being indifferent; lack of care or concern
2. lack of quality; mediocrity
3. lack of importance; insignificance
4. See principle of indifference

Other Words From

• super·in·differ·ence noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of indifference¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, variant of indifferency, from Latin indifferentia; indifferent, -ence, -ency

Synonym Study

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.

Related Words

• alienation
• apathy
• callousness
• carelessness
• disdain
• disinterest
• disregard
• inattention
• inertia
• insensitivity
• lack
• negligence
• nonchalance