indifference

[ in-dif-er-uhns, -dif-ruhns ]
See synonyms for indifference on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. lack of interest or concern: We were shocked by their indifference toward poverty.

  2. unimportance; little or no concern: Whether or not to attend the party is a matter of indifference to him.

  1. the quality or condition of being indifferent.

  2. mediocre quality; mediocrity.

  3. 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.

Origin of indifference

1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, variant of indifferency, from Latin indifferentia; see origin at indifferent, -ence, -ency

synonym study For indifference

1. 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.

Opposites for indifference

Other words from indifference

  • su·per·in·dif·fer·ence, noun

Words Nearby indifference

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use indifference in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for indifference

indifference

/ (ɪnˈdɪfrəns, -fərəns) /


noun
  1. the fact or state of being indifferent; lack of care or concern

  2. lack of quality; mediocrity

  1. lack of importance; insignificance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012