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

• impartial
• equitable
• equal

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

The book’s accumulation of data, cases, and documentation of censorship, surveillance, and harassment, presented in a clinical and dispassionate tone, paints a damning picture. —Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2025

Carr, who apparently reacted to Kimmel's suspension last week by sending a GIF of TV characters doing a celebratory dance to a journalist, yesterday described his role at the FCC as that of a dispassionate arbiter. —Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025

Kirkpatrick set out to create a fair, dispassionate tally of Trump’s two terms so far. —David Remnick, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2025

This crisis needs a dispassionate, neutral referee. —Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 30 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dispassionate

• compassionate
• passionate

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