indifferent

/in'difrənt/

Friendly

The word "indifferent" is an adjective that describes a state of not having strong feelings or opinions about something. When someone is indifferent, they do not care much about the outcome or quality of a situation, person, or object.

Simple Explanation:

• Meaning: "Indifferent" means not caring whether something is good or bad, or not having a strong preference.
• Usage: You can use "indifferent" to describe people, situations, or objects that are average, unremarkable, or when someone is apathetic.

Examples:

1. General Use: "She was indifferent to the movie; she thought it was just okay."
2. Performance: "His performance in the game was indifferent, neither impressive nor poor."
3. Choice: "I am indifferent about which restaurant we go to for dinner; they all seem fine to me."

Advanced Usage:

• In a Legal Context: "The jury was indifferent, showing no bias towards either party in the case."
• In Chemistry: "Water is often considered an indifferent solvent because it does not chemically react with many substances."

Variants:

• Indifference (noun): This refers to the quality of being indifferent. Example: "His indifference to the problem frustrated everyone."
• Indifferently (adverb): This means doing something without interest or concern. Example: "She accepted the news indifferently."

Different Meanings:

1. Lack of Importance: "His opinion was indifferent to the decision-making process."
2. Emotional Detachment: "He was indifferent to her feelings, not showing any concern."

Synonyms:

• Uninterested
• Apathetic
• Disinterested
• Nonchalant
• Mediocre (when referring to quality)

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

While there are no specific idioms that use "indifferent," the phrase "to be indifferent to" is common. - Example: "He is indifferent to the struggles of his peers."

Conclusion:

In summary, "indifferent" describes a lack of interest, care, or strong emotion about something. It can refer to average qualities or a person's emotional state.

Academic

Adjective

1. neither too great nor too little
   • a couple of indifferent hills to climb
2. 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
3. characterized by a lack of partiality
   • a properly indifferent jury
   • an unbiasgoted account of her family problems
4. 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
5. having only a limited ability to react chemically; chemically inactive
   • inert matter
   • an indifferent chemical in a reaction
6. fairly poor to not very good
   • has an indifferent singing voice
   • has indifferent qualifications for the job
7. (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
8. (usually followed by `to') unwilling or refusing to pay heed
   • deaf to her warnings
9. showing no care or concern in attitude or action
   • indifferent to the sufferings of others
   • indifferent to her plea
10. marked by a lack of interest; it is simply indifferent"
    • an apathetic audience
    • the universe is neither hostile nor friendly

Synonyms

• so-so
• unbiased
• unbiassed
• inert
• neutral
• immaterial
• deaf
• indifferent
• apathetic