indifferent

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in·dif·fer·ent

(ĭn-dĭf′ər-ənt, -dĭf′rənt)

adj.

a. Having no particular interest or concern; apathetic: a person who is indifferent to the sufferings of others.

b. Having no marked feeling for or against: She remained indifferent toward their proposal.

2. Not mattering one way or the other; unimportant; immaterial: It's indifferent which outfit you choose.

3. Characterized by a lack of partiality; unbiased: an indifferent judge.

a. Being neither too much nor too little; moderate: "Specialist rectifiers ... raised brandies of indifferent strength to the desired strength by further distillations" (L.M. Cullen).

b. Being neither good nor bad; mediocre: an indifferent performance. See Synonyms at average.

5. Not active or involved; neutral: an indifferent chemical in a reaction.

6. Biology Undifferentiated, as cells or tissue.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin indifferēns, indifferent- : in-, not; see in-¹ + differēns, different; see different.]

in·dif′fer·ent·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

indifferent

(ɪnˈdɪfrənt; -fərənt)

adj

1. (often foll by to) showing no care or concern; uninterested: he was indifferent to my pleas.

2. unimportant; immaterial

a. of only average or moderate size, extent, quality, etc

b. not at all good; poor

4. showing or having no preferences; impartial

5. (Biology) biology

a. (of cells or tissues) not differentiated or specialized

b. (of a species) not found in any particular community

[C14: from Latin indifferēns making no distinction]

inˈdifferently adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

in•dif•fer•ent

(ɪnˈdɪf ər ənt, -ˈdɪf rənt)

adj.

1. without interest or concern; not caring; apathetic.

2. having no bias or preference; impartial.

3. neutral or average; routine: an indifferent specimen.

4. not particularly good: an indifferent performance.

5. of only moderate amount, extent, etc.

6. immaterial or unimportant.

7. not essential or obligatory, as an observance.

8. neutral in chemical, electric, or magnetic quality.

9. not differentiated or specialized, as cells or tissues.

10. a person who is indifferent, esp. in matters of religion or politics.

[1350–1400; Middle English < of indifferēns]

in•dif′fer•ent•ly, adv.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.	1.	indifferent - marked by a lack of interest; "an apathetic audience"; "the universe is neither hostile nor friendly; it is simply indifferent" apathetic uninterested - not having or showing interest; "an uninterested spectator"
	2.	indifferent - showing no care or concern in attitude or action; "indifferent to the sufferings of others"; "indifferent to her plea" unconcerned - lacking in interest or care or feeling; "the average American...is unconcerned that his or her plight is the result of a complex of personal and economic and governmental actions...beyond the normal citizen's comprehension and control"; "blithely unconcerned about his friend's plight"
	3.	indifferent - (usually followed by `to') unwilling or refusing to pay heed; "deaf to her warnings" deaf heedless, unheeding - marked by or paying little heed or attention; "We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we know now that it is bad economics"--Franklin D. Roosevelt; "heedless of danger"; "heedless of the child's crying"
	4.	indifferent - (often followed by `to') lacking importance; not mattering one way or the other; "whether you choose to do it or not is a matter that is quite immaterial (or indifferent)"; "what others think is altogether indifferent to him" immaterial unimportant - not important; "a relatively unimportant feature of the system"; "the question seems unimportant"
	5.	indifferent - fairly poor to not very good; "has an indifferent singing voice"; "has indifferent qualifications for the job" inferior - of or characteristic of low rank or importance
	6.	indifferent - having only a limited ability to react chemically; chemically inactive; "inert matter"; "an indifferent chemical in a reaction" inert, neutral chemical science, chemistry - the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions unreactive - (chemistry) not reacting chemically
	7.	indifferent - marked by no especial liking or dislike or preference for one thing over another; "indifferent about which book you would give them"; "was indifferent to their acceptance or rejection of her invitation" impartial - showing lack of favoritism; "the cold neutrality of an impartial judge"
	8.	indifferent - characterized by a lack of partiality; "a properly indifferent jury"; "an unbiasgoted account of her family problems" unbiased, unbiassed impartial - showing lack of favoritism; "the cold neutrality of an impartial judge"
	9.	indifferent - being neither good nor bad; "an indifferent performance"; "a gifted painter but an indifferent actor"; "her work at the office is passable"; "a so-so golfer"; "feeling only so-so"; "prepared a tolerable dinner"; "a tolerable working knowledge of French" so-so ordinary - not exceptional in any way especially in quality or ability or size or degree; "ordinary everyday objects"; "ordinary decency"; "an ordinary day"; "an ordinary wine"
	10.	indifferent - neither too great nor too little; "a couple of indifferent hills to climb" moderate - being within reasonable or average limits; not excessive or extreme; "moderate prices"; "a moderate income"; "a moderate fine"; "moderate demands"; "a moderate estimate"; "a moderate eater"; "moderate success"; "a kitchen of moderate size"; "the X-ray showed moderate enlargement of the heart"

indifferent

adjective

1. unconcerned, distant, detached, cold, cool, regardless, careless, callous, aloof, unimpressed, unmoved, unsympathetic, impervious, uncaring, uninterested, apathetic, unresponsive, heedless, inattentive People have become indifferent to the suffering of others.
unconcerned interested, concerned, keen, sensitive, eager, enthusiastic, sympathetic, susceptible, responsive, compassionate, avid

2. mediocre, middling, average, fair, ordinary, moderate, insignificant, unimportant, so-so (informal), immaterial, passable, undistinguished, uninspired, of no consequence, no great shakes (informal), half-pie (N.Z. informal) She had starred in several indifferent movies.
mediocre fine, excellent, remarkable, first-class, exceptional, notable

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

indifferent

adjective

1. Free from bias in judgment:

disinterested, dispassionate, equitable, fair, fair-minded, impartial, just, nonpartisan, objective, square, unbiased, unprejudiced.

Idiom: fair and square.

2. Feeling or showing no strong emotional involvement:

detached, disinterested, dispassionate, impersonal, neutral.

3. Without emotion or interest:

apathetic, detached, impassive, incurious, insensible, lethargic, listless, phlegmatic, stolid, unconcerned, uninterested, unresponsive.

4. Lacking interest in one's surroundings or worldly affairs:

aloof, detached, disinterested, incurious, unconcerned, uninterested, uninvolved.

5. Being of no special quality or type:

average, common, commonplace, cut-and-dried, formulaic, garden, garden-variety, mediocre, ordinary, plain, routine, run-of-the-mill, standard, stock, undistinguished, unexceptional, unremarkable.

Translations

غَيْر مُبالٍ، عَديم الإكْتِراثوَسَط، لَيس بالجيِّد أو الرَّديء

lhostejnýprůměrný

indifferentligegladmiddelmådig

gleichgültig indifferent leidlich

αδιάφορος

indiferente mediocre frío

indifferenttikeskinkertainenvälinpitämätön

indifférentje-m’en-foutistemédiocre étranger

elég gyenge

áhugalauslakur, fremur lélegur

indifferente indifferenza mediocre apatico

abejingainekoks

viduvējsvienaldzīgs

likesæl middelmådig

indiferente

равнодушный индифферентный

brezbrižen

ilgisizkayıtsızşöyle böyle vasat

一般的不关心的平庸的

indifferent

[ɪnˈdɪfrənt] ADJ

1. (= uninterested) → indiferente
she seemed indifferent to what was happening → parecía que lo que ocurría le resultaba indiferente

2. (= unsympathetic) → indiferente
I could not remain indifferent to their suffering → no podía permanecer indiferente a su sufrimiento

3. (pej) (= mediocre) → mediocre, regular
a glass of indifferent wine → un vaso de un vino mediocre or regular
the book has had indifferent reviews → las críticas del libro lo dejan regular

4. (= of no importance) it is indifferent to me → me es igual or indiferente

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

indifferent

[ɪnˈdɪfrənt] adj

(= uninterested) → indifférent(e)
to be indifferent to sth → être indifférent(e) à qch

(= poor) → médiocre, quelconque

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

indifferent

adj

(= lacking interest) → gleichgültig, indifferent (geh) → (to, towards gegenüber); he is quite indifferent about it/to her → es/sie ist ihm ziemlich gleichgültig; indifferent to her despair → ungerührt von ihrer Verzweiflung; his indifferent attitude to the killings → seine Gleichgültigkeit gegenüber den Morden

(= mediocre) → mittelmäßig, durchschnittlich

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

indifferent

[ɪnˈdɪfr/ənt] adj

a. (apathetic) indifferent (to) → indifferente (a)

b. (mediocre) → mediocre

indifferent

(inˈdifrənt) adjective

1. (often with to) showing no interest in or not caring about (opinions, events etc). She is quite indifferent to other people's suffering.

2. not very good. He is a rather indifferent card-player.

inˈdifferently adverb

inˈdifference noun

the state of showing no interest in, or concern about, something. She showed complete indifference to the cries of the baby.

indifferent

a. indiferente.

References in classic literature ?

Meantime, Queequeg's impulsive, indifferent sword, sometimes hitting the woof slantingly, or crookedly, or strongly, or weakly, as the case might be; and by this difference in the concluding blow producing a corresponding contrast in the final aspect of the completed fabric; this savage's sword, thought I, which thus finally shapes and fashions both warp and woof; this easy, indifferent sword must be chance --aye, chance, free will, and necessity --no wise incompatible --all interweavingly working together.

View in context

Actions capable of this effect must happen between persons who are either friends or enemies or indifferent to one another.

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She was not thinking of her neck and arms now; even her own beauty was indifferent to her.

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She used the clients whom she did not know with frigid insolence, and when she was talking to a friend was perfectly indifferent to the calls of the hurried.

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Much in the same manner ought that oligarchy to be established which is next in order: but as to that which is most opposite to a pure democracy, and approaches nearest to a dynasty and a tyranny, as it is of all others the worst, so it requires the greatest care and caution to preserve it: for as bodies of sound and healthy constitutions and ships which are well manned and well found for sailing can bear many injuries without perishing, while a diseased body or a leaky ship with an indifferent crew cannot support the [1321a] least shock; so the worst-established governments want most looking after.

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As she was (very bad handwriting apart) a more than indifferent speller, and as Joe was a more than indifferent reader, extraordinary complications arose between them, which I was always called in to solve.

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She hated having visitors in the house while her health was so indifferent, and lovers were of all people the most disagreeable.

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I would rather have a good second husband than an indifferent first."

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For the few seconds during which the visitors were gazing at the picture in silence Mihailov too gazed at it with the indifferent eye of an outsider.

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"I must not hope to be ever situated as you are, in the midst of every dearest connexion, and therefore I cannot expect that simply growing older should make me indifferent about letters."

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They will glance at the photogravures of our nearly defunct sailing-ships with a cold, inquisitive and indifferent eye.

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To the fortune of a wife, the goodness of my own will make me indifferent, but her family and character must be equally unexceptionable.