dispassionate

adjective

dis·​pas·​sion·​ate (ˌ)dis-ˈpa-sh(ə-)nət 

: not influenced by strong feeling

especially : not affected by personal or emotional involvement

a dispassionate critic

a dispassionate approach to an issue

dispassionately adverb

dispassionateness noun

Synonyms

• candid
• disinterested
• equal
• equitable
• evenhanded
• fair
• impartial
• indifferent
• just
• nonpartisan
• objective
• square
• unbiased
• unprejudiced

Choose the Right Synonym for dispassionate

fair, just, equitable, impartial, unbiased, dispassionate, objective mean free from favor toward either or any side.

fair implies a proper balance of conflicting interests.

a fair decision

just implies an exact following of a standard of what is right and proper.

a just settlement of territorial claims

equitable implies a less rigorous standard than just and usually suggests equal treatment of all concerned.

the equitable distribution of the property

impartial stresses an absence of favor or prejudice.

an impartial third party

unbiased implies even more strongly an absence of all prejudice.

your unbiased opinion

dispassionate suggests freedom from the influence of strong feeling and often implies cool or even cold judgment.

a dispassionate summation of the facts

objective stresses a tendency to view events or persons as apart from oneself and one's own interest or feelings.

I can't be objective about my own child

Examples of dispassionate in a Sentence

Journalists aim to be dispassionate observers.

He spoke in a dispassionate tone about the accident.

Recent Examples on the Web

Early on Watson employs the techniques of his partner for sizing a person up with a single glance and delivering a classic, dispassionate autopsy dissecting their finer and lesser points. —Christopher Smith, Orange County Register, 5 June 2024

Wool invented a visual language that collectors came to love (black and white, dramatic, dispassionate, gritty but in a chic way) and that, in the end, looked great in a minimalist loft. —Rachel Corbett, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2024

The cosmopolitan student body and faculty ensure an exciting but dispassionate approach to studying change, reflecting a true diversity of opinions while striving to incorporate Asian perspectives. —Foreign Affairs, 4 Oct. 2023

Abassi presents this student-teacher union with an almost dispassionate detachment. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 23 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

dispassionate

adjective

dis·​pas·​sion·​ate (ˈ)dis-ˈpash-(ə-)nət 

: not influenced by strong feeling : calm, impartial

a dispassionate judge

dispassionately adverb