uninterested

adjective

un·in·ter·est·ed | \ˌən-ˈin-t(ə-)rə-stəd;

-ˈin-tə-ˌre-, -ˈin-ˌtre-;-ˈin-tər-\

Definition of uninterested

: not interested : not having the mind or feelings engaged

Synonyms & Antonyms Disinterested vs. Uninterested: Usage Guide Example Sentences Learn More about uninterested

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Disinterested vs. Uninterested: Usage Guide

Disinterested and uninterested have a tangled history. Uninterested originally meant impartial, but this sense fell into disuse during the 18th century. About the same time the original sense of disinterested also disappeared, with uninterested developing a new sense—the present meaning—to take its place. The original sense of uninterested is still out of use, but the original sense of disinterested revived in the early 20th century. The revival has since been under frequent attack as an illiteracy and a blurring or loss of a useful distinction. Actual usage shows otherwise. The "free from selfish interest" sense of disinterested is still its most frequent sense, especially in edited prose; it shows no sign of vanishing. Further, disinterested has developed an additional sense—"no longer interested"—perhaps influenced by the "deprive of" sense of the prefix dis-, that contrasts with uninterested. when I grow tired or disinterested in anything, I experience a disgust — Jack London, letter, 1914 Still, use of the "not interested" and "no longer interested" senses of disinterested will incur the disapproval of some who may not fully appreciate the history of this word or the subtleties of its present use.

Examples of uninterested in a Sentence

the teacher decided to make a career change after having to teach yet another class of uninterested teens

Recent Examples on the Web

The president himself is deeply uninterested in the details of policy and can identify only a handful of domestic policy aides, including Mr. Mulvaney, by name, according to current and former staff members. — New York Times, "Behind Trump’s Plan to Overhaul the Government: Scaling Back the Safety Net," 21 June 2018 Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski is reportedly interested in a move to Real Madrid, however Los Blancos president Florentino Perez is uninterested in signing the player. — SI.com, "Prolific Bayern Munich Forward Has Move To Real Madrid Rejected by Club Owner," 2 July 2018 Some are simply uninterested; many others believe their vote won’t make a difference. — Jazmine Ulloa, latimes.com, "In the heart of the Central Valley, a push to get Latino voters to the polls," 8 June 2018 Not with the way his team came into the playoffs, looking like a slumping, uninterested bunch in recent weeks. — Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, "Kerr’s starting lineup a surprise as Warriors blow out Spurs in Game 1," 14 Apr. 2018 Indeed, this term even Kennedy appeared uninterested in making concessions to the liberal justices. — David Fontana, Vox, "Justice Sotomayor is poised to lead the minority wing of the Supreme Court," 6 July 2018 Many of the rest are too inexperienced or just uninterested in the White House. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "Why Democrats should take mayors seriously as presidential candidates," 22 June 2018 Lewis has been writing for Vanity Fair magazine about how ill-prepared and uninterested in such details the Trump administration appears to be. — Kathleen Pender, San Francisco Chronicle, "Author Michael Lewis turns his attention from Wall Street to Washington, D.C.," 10 Apr. 2018 Even some White House officials are uninterested in planning the parade, and are dragging their feet, according to a senior administration official. — NBC News, "Planning for Trump's military parade finally getting underway," 28 June 2018

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