Synonyms for indifference
Most common
apathy unconcern nonchalance disinterest phlegm stolidity triviality
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Apathy
apathy, unconcern, nonchalance, disinterest, disregard, insouciance, coldness, carelessness, inattention, neglect, stoicism, negligence, lethargy, dispassion, coolness, sluggishness, numbness, insensibility, disinterestedness, heedlessness, spiritlessness, inadvertence
2. Phlegm
phlegm, stolidity, impassivity, impassiveness, unemotionality, emotionlessness
3. Triviality
Definitions
- n. 1
The state of being indifferent.
- n. 2
Unbiased impartiality.
- n. 3
Unemotional apathy.
His daughter's indifference towards the sexist group made him wonder if she felt no empathy for the bullied.
Forms
- Plural
- indifferences → apathies, unconcerns, nonchalances, disregards…
Choose the right word
Indifference and insensibility designate the absence of feeling toward certain persons or things; apathy, entire absence of feeling. Indifference is a want of interest; insensibility is a want of feeling; unconcern has reference to consequences.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- apathy Apathy is a paralysis of the soul, an early death.
- disinterest He chided Maria for her disinterest in anything that is not her own idea.
- nonchalance Ziri replied with nonchalance.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| indifference | steady | |
| apathy | falling | |
| disinterest | rising | |
| nonchalance | rising | |
| unconcern | falling | |
| stolidity | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 6 letters
- apathy3, phlegm1
- 7 letters
- neglect2
- 8 letters
- numbness2, coolness2, lethargy3, coldness2, stoicism4
- 9 letters
- disregard3, unconcern3, stolidity
- 10 letters
- negligence3, mediocrity5, triviality5, dispassion
- 11 letters
- inferiority6, disinterest4, inattention4, nonchalance3, insouciance4, impassivity
- 12 letters
- impartiality6, carelessness3, sluggishness3, unimportance, heedlessness, inadvertence4, uncaringness
- 13 letters
- insensibility, impassiveness
- 14 letters
- insignificance5, spiritlessness, unemotionality
- 15 letters
- emotionlessness, indifferentness
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (apathy3 = 3 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- indifférence
- Italiano
- indifferenza
- Español
- indiferencia
- Deutsch
- Gleichgültigkeit