apathy

apathy — noun

1. a state of not caring about anything and not wanting to make any effort to chang

1.nounC1
Definition

a state of not caring about anything and not wanting to make any effort to change a situation, even when it really matters.

Example

Voter apathy among young people meant only one in three turned out for the election.

collocation: voter apathy among [group]

The mayor was shocked by public apathy towards the new recycling program.

collocation: public apathy towards [issue]

Common collocations
  • voter apathy
  • public apathy
  • political apathy
  • widespread apathy
  • general apathy
  • apathy towards politics
Synonyms
  • indifference

    more neutral; simply not caring, without the sense of failing to act

  • lethargy

    stresses physical tiredness as well as a lack of motivation

  • disengagement

    more formal; common in political or workplace contexts

Antonyms
  • enthusiasm

    active positive feeling and energy for something

  • concern

    caring enough to worry about an issue

Grammar Patterns

apathy towards/toward + noun

apathy about + noun

Usage Note

Almost always uncountable and almost always negative — speakers use it to criticise someone for not caring when they should. Frequently paired with 'voter', 'public', 'political', or followed by 'towards/toward' or 'about'.

Common Mistakes

He has many apathies about his job.
He shows a lot of apathy about his job.
apathy is uncountable; don't pluralise it or use 'a/an' with it.
The students felt apathy of the new rules.
The students felt apathy towards the new rules.
use 'towards/toward' or 'about', not 'of', to introduce the topic.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four describe a lack of caring, but the focus differs. 'Apathy' carries a critical edge — it suggests someone should care or act but does not, which is why it pairs so strongly with 'voter' and 'public'. 'Indifference' is more neutral and can simply mean you have no preference: 'her indifference to fashion'. 'Lethargy' adds a physical layer: the person feels too tired or sluggish to move, often after illness or heat. 'Disengagement' is more formal and common in workplace and political writing, describing people who have mentally checked out of a role or system. So you might say 'voter apathy is rising', 'her indifference surprised me', 'summer lethargy hit the office', and 'employee disengagement is a real cost'.

apathy ↗indifference ↗lethargy ↗disengagement

Common collocations

Nouns

  • voter apathy
  • public apathy
  • political apathy
  • student apathy

Adverbs

Phrases

  • combat apathy
  • overcome apathy
  • shake off apathy
  • a sense of apathy

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekFrenchEnglish

From Greek 'apatheia', built from 'a-' meaning 'without' and 'pathos' meaning 'feeling' or 'suffering'. For ancient Stoic philosophers, 'apatheia' was a positive ideal — freedom from troubling emotions. The word entered English through French in the early 1600s, but its meaning shifted: instead of calm wisdom, it came to suggest a flat, uncaring attitude that ignores what matters.