dispassionate

adjective dis·pas·sion·ate \ -sh(ə-)nət \

Updated on: 6 Apr 2018

Definition of dispassionate

: not influenced by strong feeling; especially : not affected by personal or emotional involvement

a dispassionate critic

a dispassionate approach to an issue

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dispassionately

adverb

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dispassionateness

noun

See dispassionate defined for English-language learners

See dispassionate defined for kids

Examples of dispassionate in a Sentence

Journalists aim to be dispassionate observers.
He spoke in a dispassionate tone about the accident.

Recent Examples of dispassionate from the Web

Along with the suspicion that cultural biases within police departments are a factor in the fatal shootings of black men nationwide, questions loom as to other law enforcement agencies can act as dispassionate investigators of cops who kill.

— marcos bretón, sacbee, "Here's another result of the Stephon Clark autopsy – cops can't investigate cops | The Sacramento Bee," 31 Mar. 2018
Both films interrogated notions of morality and expediency, casting a gaze on human behavior that is dispassionate and harshly unforgiving.

— michael o’sullivan, kansascity, "‘Loveless’ is a grim, pitiless gaze at present-day Russia | The Kansas City Star," 30 Mar. 2018
Not staged, not lit, not cropped, not retouched, the color photographs of this American master are feats of dispassionate representation.

— New York Times, "23 Art Exhibitions to View in NYC This Weekend," 29 Mar. 2018
Again, this is what a dispassionate look at [what] decades of research suggest.

— ezra klein, Vox, "Sam Harris, Charles Murray, and the allure of race science," 27 Mar. 2018
Some analysts took a more dispassionate view, saying that Sharif’s partisan opponents merely played a smarter hand.

— Washington Post, "Skulduggery in Pakistan’s Senate races sets stage for chaotic general election," 22 Mar. 2018
Was Aimard making the case for Beethoven as a dispassionate modernist?

— peter dobrin, Philly.com, "At PCMS recital, Pierre-Laurent Aimard is easier to admire than love," 14 Mar. 2018
Both films interrogated notions of morality and expediency, casting a gaze on human behavior that is dispassionate and harshly unforgiving.

— michael o'sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "'Loveless' review: Lost boy in a lost Russia," 1 Mar. 2018
The case against the FBI that’s being assembled by Trump and his minions is not designed to convince dispassionate observers.

— chas danner, Daily Intelligencer, "The Real Damage of the Nunes Memo," 4 Feb. 2018

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

First Known Use of dispassionate

1594

dispassionate Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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

DISPASSIONATE Defined for English Language Learners

dispassionate

adjective

Definition of dispassionate for English Language Learners

: not influenced or affected by emotions

DISPASSIONATE Defined for Kids

dispassionate

adjective dis·pas·sion·ate \ dis-ˈpa-shə-nət \

Definition of dispassionate for Students

: not influenced by strong feeling or personal involvement : calm, impartial

a dispassionate judgment

—

dispassionately

adverb

Learn More about dispassionate

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dispassionate Spanish Central: Translation of dispassionate Nglish: Translation of dispassionate for Spanish speakers

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dispassionate

Definition of dispassionate

dispassionately

dispassionateness

Examples of dispassionate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of dispassionate from the Web

First Known Use of dispassionate

dispassionate Synonyms

Synonyms

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Synonym Discussion of dispassionate

DISPASSIONATE Defined for English Language Learners

dispassionate

Definition of dispassionate for English Language Learners

DISPASSIONATE Defined for Kids

dispassionate

Definition of dispassionate for Students

dispassionately

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