dis·in·ter·est
| \ (ˌ)dis-ˈin-trəst
; -ˈin-tə-ˌrest
, -tə-rəst, -tərst; -ˈin-ˌtrest \
; -ˈin-tə-ˌrest
, -tə-rəst, -tərst; -ˈin-ˌtrest \
disinterested; disinteresting; disinterests
Definition of disinterest
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to cause to regard something with no interest or concern
disinterest
nounDefinition of disinterest (Entry 2 of 2)
2
: lack of interest : indifference
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Synonyms & Antonyms for disinterest
Synonyms: Noun
- detachment,
- disinterestedness,
- equity,
- evenhandedness,
- fair-mindedness,
- fairness,
- impartiality,
- justice,
- neutralism,
- neutrality,
- nonpartisanship,
- objectiveness,
- objectivity
Antonyms: Noun
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Examples of disinterest in a Sentence
Noun
His proposal was met with complete disinterest.
since the coach has a son on the team, his disinterest in the selection of a team captain cannot be assumed
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
He has been widely described as a maverick researcher disinterested in personal recognition who simply wanted to give babies to those who couldn’t make them on their own.
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Osagie K. Obasogie, Scientific American, "Commentary: The Eugenics Legacy of the Nobelist Who Fathered IVF," 4 Oct. 2013
In that October 2015 Benghazi hearing, Congressman Pompeo depicted Clinton as an aloof partisan, disinterested in the welfare of State Department employees.
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Garrett M. Graff, Wired, "The Hypocrisy of Mike Pompeo," 21 May 2020
Jeff Okudah is either disinterested or didn’t want much to do with Bryant.
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Ellis L. Williams, cleveland, "How versatile Harrison Bryant can help the Browns as a rookie TE in 2020 -- Film review," 6 May 2020
Friendship with them—disinterested or otherwise—seemed impossible.
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B. Pietras, Longreads, "Secret Museums," 27 Apr. 2020
Once the aliens arrive like a summer storm in bolts of lightning, the tension never lets up as divorced and disinterested dad Tom Cruise rises to the occasion to keep his kids alive.
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Jim Kiest, ExpressNews.com, "Now streaming: Watch horror remake of ‘Fantasy Island,’ new biopic ‘Capone’ with Tom Hardy at home on digital," 12 May 2020
The fear that customers have over the coronavirus and the large number of people that are getting sick has made them slightly disinterested in celebrating Holi.
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Fox News, "India’s Holi Festival subdued amid coronavirus outbreak," 11 Mar. 2020
Cats are noted for their unique ability to be disinterested under all kinds of circumstances, a fun fact that was on full unabashed display for Kevin the cat who went for a hilarious ride of his life on a leash.
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Ashley Hoffman, Time, "Reluctant Icon Kevin the Cat Sliding Down the Floor Is All of Us," 2 Mar. 2020
Besides his awesome moves, there was the varying expressions of the onlookers — everything from delight to disinterested.
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Alix Strauss, New York Times, "Wedding Photographers Share Their Favorite Moments," 30 Apr. 2019
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
But his apparent disinterest in being a celebrity is a big part of his enigmatic appeal.
—
Anne Victoria Clark, Vulture, "Dear Matt Berry: Please, Please Start a Twitch Stream," 3 Feb. 2021
Democracy watchers believe Trump’s authoritarian tendencies and disinterest in Africa has encouraged actual authoritarians on the continent.
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Stephen Kafeero, Quartz Africa, "These are the key African elections to watch in 2021," 13 Jan. 2021
In 2016, despite a disinterest in publicity, The Guardian notes, le Carré surprised his fans by publishing a memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel.
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TheWeek, "John le Carré, mold-breaking spy novelist, dies at 89," 13 Dec. 2020
Especially after his earlier statement of seeming disinterest.
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Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville's Scott Satterfield took an avoidable risk by talking to South Carolina," 5 Dec. 2020
This disinterest in maintaining the history of Black Americans in Colonial Williamsburg isn’t isolated to First Baptist.
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Angela Watercutter, Wired, "The Quest to Unearth One of America’s Oldest Black Churches," 26 Nov. 2020
For decades, the state and county governments’ disinterest in the problem transferred the burden of care to activists and local leaders.
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Alexis Okeowo, The New Yorker, "The Heavy Toll of the Black Belt’s Wastewater Crisis," 23 Nov. 2020
As the nation braces for a dark winter, that disinterest could be one of the virus’s greatest allies.
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Matt Ford, The New Republic, "Trump Has Never Been More Dangerous Than He Is Now," 7 Nov. 2020
The media should abandon fact-checkers’ pretext of objectivity and political disinterest and instead acknowledge their sociopolitical leanings in much the way that NPR tries to pit pro and con points of view in political coverage.
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Stephen J. Ceci, Scientific American, "The Psychology of Fact Checking," 25 Oct. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disinterest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Cite this Entry
“Disinterest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disinterest. Accessed 7 Mar. 2021.
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Time Traveler for disinterest
The first known use of disinterest was in 1612
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