Definition of APATHIES

How Apathy Differs From Impassivity and Indifference

Apathy, impassivity, and indifference all denote a lack of responsiveness to something that might normally excite interest or emotion. Apathy suggests a puzzling or deplorable inertness or lack of passion, as in “the problem of continued voter apathy.” Impassivity stresses the absence of any external sign of emotion in action or facial expression, as in “teachers frustrated by the impassivity of their students.” Indifference connotes a lack of interest in or concern about something, as in “the company’s apparent indifference to the needs of its employees.”

The Greek Origins of Apathy

There's no reason to be uncaring about the origins of apathy—though there is a clue to the word's beginnings in this sentence. Apathy was borrowed into English in the late 16th century from Greek apatheia, which itself comes from the adjective apathēs, meaning "without feeling." Apathēs, in turn, was formed by combining the negating prefix a- with pathos, meaning "emotion." Incidentally, if you've guessed that pathos is the source of the identically spelled noun in English (meaning either "an element in experience or in artistic representation evoking pity or compassion" or "an emotion of sympathetic pity"), you are correct. Pathos also gave us such words as antipathy, empathy, sympathy, pathetic, and even the archaic word pathematic ("emotional").

Examples of apathy in a Sentence

That's the danger of a teeming cast of … characters: they get jumbled in the viewer's mind, and … apathy ensues. Novels can afford a rich banquet of personalities; it's what readers sign up for. But ratiocination isn't welcome in modern movies, which prefer visceral impact over intellect. — Richard Corliss, Time, 20 Oct. 2008 But short of such complete apathy, there are other neurological conditions in which the capacity for genuine emotion is compromised. One sees this in some forms of autism, in the "flat affect" of some schizophrenics. … But here, as with Harry, music can often break through, if only in a limited way or for a brief time, and release seemingly normal emotions. — Oliver Sacks, Musicophilia, 2008 According to the polls, "the American people, as opposed to some of their leaders, seek no converts to their ideology." And they are not "cultural imperialists." Maybe not. But this reserve seems grounded less in humility (60 percent of Americans consider their culture "superior to others") than in apathy. — Robert Wright, New York Times Book Review, 14 May 2006 The result could well be further inequality of political information, with avid followers of politics becoming ever more knowledgeable while the rest of the public slips deeper into political apathy. — Martin P. Wattenberg, Atlantic, October 1998 People have shown surprising apathy toward these important social problems. People have shown a surprising apathy toward these problems.

Recent Examples on the Web

Just as a co-worker’s stress can spread to others via late-night emails and terse hallway exchanges, so too can a powerful colleague’s apparent apathy set off a disastrous chain reaction. — Sarah Todd, Quartz at Work, "Why it’s so dangerous when star employees check out," 2 July 2019 Turnout was low in the runoff — a sign of voter apathy and disillusionment toward the government, experts say. — Washington Post, "Four things to know about Guatemala’s new president-elect," 12 Aug. 2019 Insurers’ apathy is energising reinsurers to innovate in their stead. — The Economist, "The future of insurance is happening without insurance firms," 20 July 2019 My apathy over taking my antidepressants is also not uncommon, apparently. — Ashley Mateo, Glamour, "Women Are Ditching Their Antidepressants at Higher Rates Than Men—The Reasons Are Complicated," 20 June 2019 Against a background of voter apathy, turnout in Sunday's election was below 50 percent, perhaps explaining some of the more unusual results. — Gavin J. Blair, The Hollywood Reporter, "Japanese Lawmaker Elected on Platform of "Crushing" Public Broadcaster NHK," 22 July 2019 The assumptions come in thick and fast: Intrepid and valuable small orchestra crushed by apathy, ignorance and philistine funding bodies that fail to pony up the donations. — Anne Midgette, chicagotribune.com, "People are upset when an orchestra closes - if only they went to the concerts," 20 July 2019 The assumptions come in thick and fast: Intrepid and valuable small orchestra crushed by apathy, ignorance and philistine funding bodies that fail to pony up the donations. — Washington Post, "People are upset when an orchestra closes. If only they went to the concerts.," 20 July 2019 But last year only 14,258 fans per game showed up to watch a team that finished 18 games above .500, a measure of apathy eclipsed only by the train-wreck Marlins to the east and the Rays' worst box-office showing in 13 years. — Matt Bonesteel, courant.com, "Rays’ city-sharing plan has problems, but team’s owner calls it an ‘amazing idea’," 26 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'apathy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.