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

Thus, a dispassionate discussion is needed on what net zero means for oil and gas. —Simi Thambi​, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025

Readers acquainted with the mixed lyricism and sarcasm of the Communist Manifesto or Marx’s inflamed journalism on the events of his day may be surprised by the desiccated laying out of concepts and dispassionate tone of Capital. —Benjamin Kunkel, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025

The tone of his book is dispassionate, befitting his soft-spoken, considered persona, but its message is clear: By favoring more and more immigration, the modern left betrayed its traditional working-class constituency. —Robert Petkoff Krish Seenivasan Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025

Maybe being more dispassionate is one part of the equation. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 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