English Reference
Adjective

disinterested

adj.
C1 Advanced US /dɪˈsɪnɹɪstɪd/ UK /dˌɪsˈɪntɹəstɪd/ dis·in·ter·est·ed

adj.not having any personal interest or concern in a situation. You use this to describe someone who is fair because they do not benefit from the result.

adj.unbiased or impartial, often in a legal or professional context. Refers to a lack of personal stake or self-interest in a matter.


SIMPLE

The judge was disinterested in the case.

CONTEXTUAL

The committee hired a disinterested third party to ensure the election results were counted fairly.

COMPLEX

A disinterested observer might argue that the policy change was purely a matter of efficiency rather than a calculated attempt to gain political favor.

Don't confuse

disinterested vs uninterested — Disinterested means you have no personal stake in the outcome; uninterested means you find the subject boring.

Police have often been deathly slow to respond or disinterested so small, usually rural and isolated, communities are left in fear.

The Guardian· 18 Jul 2026

Etymology 1

From disinterest (“to cause to be impartial”, verb) + -ed (suffix forming past tense or past participle forms of verbs), or from dis- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + interested (“having a stake in; showing interest”, adjective).

Etymology 2

From disinterest + -ed.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated