English Reference
Noun

indifference

n. uncountable
C1 Advanced US /ˌɪnˈdɪfɝəns/ UK /ɪndˈɪfɹəns/ in·dif·fer·ence UK spelling indifferences Philosophy

n.a lack of interest or care about something. You feel this when you do not have a strong opinion and do not care what happens.

n.a state of being unconcerned or having no particular interest or sympathy. Often implies a cold or callous lack of emotional investment in a situation.


SIMPLE

He showed total indifference to the news.

CONTEXTUAL

The public's indifference toward the local election resulted in the lowest voter turnout in the city's history.

COMPLEX

The philosopher argued that the greatest threat to justice is not active hatred, but rather a cold indifference to the suffering of others.

Usage

Commonly paired with the preposition 'to' or 'toward' to indicate the object of the lack of interest.

Pitfall
his indifference about the ruleshis indifference to the rules

Indifference is conventionally followed by 'to' or 'toward' rather than 'about'.

His snow leopards are part of an ecosystem, just like any other animal; they are hated and loved, as well as being objects of indifference.

The Guardian· 5 Aug 2026

For Schiebinger, the suppression of knowledge about abortifacients reflected a form of “ cultured apathy or cultivated indifference ” toward reproductive knowledge that challenged political and economic priorities.

JSTOR Daily· 29 Jul 2026

From Middle French indifférence, from Late Latin indifferentia. By surface analysis, in- + difference.

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

This entry
Origin la-lat indifferentia
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated