indifferent

indifferent — adjective

1. lacking any interest or concern about a person, a situation, or an idea

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

lacking any interest or concern about a person, a situation, or an idea

Example

João was indifferent to the storm warnings and took his boat out anyway.

indifferent to [something]

The cashier gave an indifferent shrug when Tunde asked for a refund.

indifferent + shrug / nod / reply

Common collocations
  • indifferent to warnings
  • indifferent to the needs of others
  • indifferent shrug
  • remain indifferent
  • completely indifferent
  • indifferent attitude
Synonyms
  • uninterested

    less negative — simply means not interested, without implying someone should care

  • apathetic

    stronger — suggests a deeper lack of emotion or motivation; more formal and clinical

  • unconcerned

    focuses on not worrying about something, often more momentary than 'indifferent'

  • disinterested

    easily confused; means 'impartial' (sense 3 of this entry), not 'not interested'

Antonyms
  • interested

    direct opposite — wanting to know or learn about something

  • concerned

    caring about something and wanting to help or fix it

Grammar Patterns

indifferent to/toward + noun/pronoun

Usage Note

Frequently followed by 'to' or 'toward' to indicate what the person is not interested in. The word carries a stronger negative tone than 'uninterested' — it often suggests someone should care but does not.

Common Mistakes

She was indifferent to the difference between the two words.
She was indifferent to the distinction between the two words.
'indifferent' means not caring, not 'different.'
He was indifferent in the exam.
He was indifferent to the exam results.
'indifferent in' is not a natural collocation for this sense; use 'indifferent to' or 'indifferent about.'

2. not particularly good, though not terrible either; of average quality in a sligh

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

not particularly good, though not terrible either; of average quality in a slightly disappointing way

Example

The band gave an indifferent performance, and half the crowd left before the final song.

indifferent + performance / meal / service / quality

Lucas called the film indifferent — not great, but not a waste of time either.

Common collocations
  • indifferent performance
  • indifferent meal
  • indifferent quality
  • indifferent service
  • indifferent result
Synonyms
  • mediocre

    more direct and common; means the same but sounds slightly harsher

  • average

    neutral — does not carry the disappointed tone that 'indifferent' has

  • unremarkable

    focuses on lack of memorable features rather than quality

Antonyms
  • excellent

    far better than average; the strongest positive opposite

  • outstanding

    clearly above the ordinary level of quality

Grammar Patterns

indifferent + noun (performance, meal, quality)

Usage Note

Used before nouns describing products, services, or creative works. Negative in tone but mild — it criticises without being harsh. More common in written reviews than in casual conversation.

Common Mistakes

The food was indifferent, but I still enjoyed it.
The food was indifferent, so I was not impressed.
'indifferent' as a quality judgment is negative; using it with 'enjoyed' creates a contradiction.
She gave an indifferent performance at the party.
She gave an indifferent performance in the play.
Use 'indifferent' for judged work (concert, exam, match), not for casual social situations.

3. not favoring any side or option; making judgments or decisions without being inf

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

not favoring any side or option; making judgments or decisions without being influenced by personal feelings or preferences

Example

The judge remained indifferent to the defendant's charm and handed down a fair sentence.

indifferent to [something] = not influenced by

A historian must be indifferent to political pressure when writing about the past.

Common collocations
  • indifferent observer
  • indifferent arbiter
  • indifferent judge
  • indifferent stance
  • remain indifferent to pressure
Synonyms
  • impartial

    more common for this meaning; 'indifferent' is more formal and slightly dated

  • neutral

    focuses on not taking sides rather than not being influenced

  • unbiased

    emphasises fairness and lack of prejudice; very common in modern English

Antonyms
  • biased

    having a strong preference for one side over another

  • partial

    favouring one person or group unfairly

Grammar Patterns

remain indifferent + to + noun (pressure, charm, influence)

Usage Note

Primarily used in formal, legal, academic, or journalistic writing. This sense is close in meaning to 'impartial' or 'neutral' and should not be confused with sense 1 (NOT INTERESTED), which has a negative connotation of carelessness.

Common Mistakes

The referee was indifferent to which team won.
The referee was impartial and did not favour either team.
For sports, 'impartial' is the more natural word; 'indifferent' sounds overly formal.
She was indifferent during the debate.' (ambiguous)
She remained indifferent to both arguments during the debate.
Adding 'to' clarifies you mean this sense, not sense 1.

4. having no effect or significance in a given situation; not worth worrying or car

4.adjectiveC1
Definition

having no effect or significance in a given situation; not worth worrying or caring about

Example

Whether they arrive at five or six is indifferent to the museum's closing schedule.

indifferent to [someone] = unimportant to them

The colour of the paper was indifferent to Christopher — he just wanted the book.

Common collocations
  • indifferent to the outcome
  • indifferent to the result
  • indifferent to the details
  • indifferent to me
Synonyms
  • irrelevant

    far more common in modern English; less formal than 'indifferent' in this sense

  • inconsequential

    similar formality; emphasises lack of consequences rather than lack of importance

  • immaterial

    often used in legal or formal contexts; means 'not relevant'

Antonyms
  • important

    having great significance or value in a situation

  • significant

    having enough importance to deserve attention

Grammar Patterns

be indifferent to + noun (the outcome, the details)

Usage Note

The subject is usually the thing that does not matter, and the person affected is introduced by 'to' ('The detail was indifferent to her'). This sense is quite formal and less common in everyday speech — use 'does not matter' or 'is irrelevant' instead for casual contexts.

Common Mistakes

The price is indifferent for me.
The price is indifferent to me.
The preposition must be 'to,' not 'for.'
The colour is indifferent.' (unclear)
The colour is indifferent to the overall design.
Without 'to,' the sentence is ambiguous between this sense and sense 1.

5. neither too much nor too little; at a level that falls between the extremes, see

5.adjectiveC2
Definition

neither too much nor too little; at a level that falls between the extremes, seen as appropriate or acceptable

Example

The oven was set to an indifferent heat, just right for baking the bread.

indifferent heat / pace / amount / degree

Mateo kept the music at an indifferent volume so it would not disturb the neighbours.

Common collocations
  • indifferent heat
  • indifferent pace
  • indifferent amount
  • indifferent volume
  • indifferent degree
Synonyms
  • moderate

    the standard modern word for this meaning; far more common

  • moderate

    direct synonym; use 'moderate' instead in all modern contexts

Antonyms
  • extreme

    far beyond the usual or moderate level

  • excessive

    too much or too great, beyond what is acceptable

Grammar Patterns

indifferent + noun (heat, pace, amount, volume)

Usage Note

This is the rarest modern sense of 'indifferent,' found mostly in older or literary writing. In everyday English, 'moderate,' 'medium,' or 'neither too... nor too...' are preferred.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These words all describe a lack of engagement, but differ in tone and context. 'Indifferent' (B2) is the broadest — it suggests someone does not care when they probably should, carrying mild criticism. 'Uninterested' (B1) simply states a lack of interest without moral judgment: 'She was uninterested in the lecture on ancient pottery.' 'Apathetic' (C1) is stronger and more clinical, often describing a deep emotional numbness or lack of motivation, common in psychology. 'Unconcerned' (B2) focuses on absence of worry: someone can be unconcerned about a risk they do not fear. 'Disinterested' (C1) is a common error trap — it means 'impartial' (sense 3 of 'indifferent'), not 'not interested.' A judge is disinterested; a bored student is uninterested. In everyday speech, 'I am not interested' is the safest choice for B1 learners; 'indifferent' adds a layer of mild disapproval that suits criticism or social commentary.

indifferent ↗uninterestedapathetic ↗unconcerneddisinterested

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • completely indifferent
  • quite indifferent
  • largely indifferent
  • fairly indifferent
  • totally indifferent
  • seemingly indifferent

Phrases

  • remain indifferent to
  • seem indifferent to
  • appear indifferent to
  • be indifferent to

Prepositions

  • indifferent to
  • indifferent toward

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

From Latin 'indifferens' — a combination of 'in-' (meaning 'not') and 'differens' (meaning 'differing, being different'). The original Latin sense was 'not different, equal, the same' — which is why 'indifferent' can mean 'neutral' or 'impartial' (sense 3). Over centuries the meaning shifted: from 'not different' to 'not taking a side' to 'not caring.' English borrowed the word through Old French 'indifferent' in the 1300s. The 'mediocre quality' sense (sense 2) appeared in the 1500s, and the 'moderate' sense (sense 5) was common in the 1600s–1800s but is now rare.