Synonyms for apathy
Most common
All synonyms
Noun
1. Indifference
indifference, lethargy, disinterest, unconcern, listlessness, ennui, lassitude, nonchalance, stupor, carelessness, torpor, sluggishness, insouciance, coldness, disregard, stoicism, numbness, languor, dispassion, calmness, inertness, neutrality
Other
boredom, world-weariness, melancholia, doldrums, supineness, apathism dated
Definitions
- n. 1
Lack of emotion or motivation; lack of interest or enthusiasm towards something; disinterest (in something).
Related words
- Is a kind of
- lack
Forms
- Plural
- apathies → indifferences, lethargies, unconcerns, listlessnesses…
Choose the right word
Apathy, according to its Greek derivation, is a simple absence of feeling or emotion. There are persons to whom a certain degree of apathy is natural, an innate sluggishness of the emotional nature.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- indifference The path to Auschwitz was paved with indifference.
- lethargy Lethargy is a common symptom of that disease.
- disinterest He chided Maria for her disinterest in anything that is not her own idea.
- boredom You don't even understand the idea of real boredom.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| apathy | falling | |
| indifference | steady | |
| lethargy | rising | |
| disinterest | rising | |
| unconcern | falling | |
| boredom | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 5 letters
- ennui3
- 6 letters
- stupor2, torpor2
- 7 letters
- boredom2, languor
- 8 letters
- numbness2, calmness2, lethargy3, coldness2, stoicism4, doldrums2, apathism
- 9 letters
- disregard3, lassitude, inertness3, unconcern3
- 10 letters
- neutrality4, dispassion, supineness
- 11 letters
- disinterest4, melancholia, nonchalance3, insouciance4
- 12 letters
- indifference4, carelessness3, sluggishness3, listlessness
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (ennui3 = 3 syllables).