indifference

Language: en

🇬🇧 /ɪˈndɪfrəns/ 🇺🇸 /ˌɪˈndɪfɜrəns/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    Lack of interest, concern, or sympathy; a state of not caring about something or someone.; The quality or state of being unimportant or insignificant; lack of consequence.; A state of being neutral or impartial; absence of bias or preference.; In economics, a state in which a consumer has no preference between two or more alternatives because they provide equal utility.; In chemistry or physics, a state of having no particular tendency or reaction; neutrality.; Archaic: the quality of being neither good nor bad; mediocrity.

🔗 Details

Word forms

uncountable

Collocations

indifference toindifference towardswith indifferencecomplete indifferencetotal indifferenceindifference to suffering

Derivatives

indifferentindifferentlyindifferentism

Synonyms

apathyunconcerndetachmentnonchalanceinsouciancedisinterest

Antonyms

concerninterestenthusiasmcaring

Commonly confused

disinterest
EN: 'Disinterest' traditionally means impartiality or lack of bias, while 'indifference' means lack of concern or caring.
apathy
EN: 'Apathy' implies a lack of motivation or emotional energy, while 'indifference' implies a deliberate or habitual lack of concern about something specific.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember 'indifference' has double 'f' and ends with '-ence' (not '-ance'). The adjective form 'indifferent' also keeps the double 'f'.

💬 Examples

  1. She showed complete indifference to the suffering of others.

  2. The matter was one of complete indifference to him.

  3. The judge maintained an attitude of indifference between the two parties.

  4. The consumer reached a point of indifference between the two products.

  5. The substance exhibited chemical indifference under normal conditions.

  6. The work was marked by a certain indifference that disappointed the critics.