Meaning & use
apathy
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Meaning
noununcountable
A lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern about something, especially matters that affect you.
Grammar: Uncountable; usually followed by 'toward(s)' or 'about': apathy toward politics.
Patterns
- voter apathy
- apathy toward something
- public apathy
Voter apathy was so widespread that fewer than a third of people cast a ballot.
His apathy toward school worried his teachers.
The campaign failed because of public apathy, not active opposition.
Common combinations
- voter apathy
- Officials blamed voter apathy for the record-low turnout.
- public apathy
- Years of broken promises produced widespread public apathy.
- apathy toward something
- The data show growing apathy toward traditional political parties.
- growing apathy
- Growing apathy among members threatened the club's survival.
Synonyms and how they differ
- indifference
- The closest synonym; indifference suggests calmly not caring, while apathy suggests a drained lack of motivation.
- unconcern
- Unconcern is a relaxed absence of worry; apathy is closer to not caring at all.
- passivity
- Passivity means not taking action; apathy is the lack of feeling that often causes it.
Opposites
Word family
- apathetic adjective
- Showing no interest or concern: apathetic voters stayed home.
- apathetically adverb
- Without interest: he shrugged apathetically and changed the subject.
Commonly confused: apathy or empathy?
apathy vs empathy
Apathy is a lack of feeling; empathy is the ability to share another person's feelings.
Practice
Election officials worried that widespread ______ among young people would keep turnout low.
Choose one answer.
A feeling that keeps people from voting is a lack of interest, which is apathy. Enthusiasm would raise turnout, and enmity means hostility, which would not describe simple non-voting.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “apathy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.