Meaning & use
uninterested
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Having no curiosity about or wish to be involved with something.
Grammar: Often followed by in: uninterested in sports. It can also stand alone after a verb: he seemed uninterested.
Patterns
- uninterested in something
- seem uninterested
He was completely uninterested in the lecture and kept checking his phone.
My brother is uninterested in cooking, so I do it.
The customer looked uninterested, so the clerk stopped talking.
Word forms
| comparative | more uninterested |
|---|---|
| superlative | most uninterested |
Common combinations
- uninterested in
- She is uninterested in celebrity gossip.
- seem uninterested
- The students seemed uninterested in the experiment.
- completely uninterested
- The buyer was completely uninterested in the offer.
- strangely uninterested
- He was strangely uninterested in the results.
- remain uninterested
- The public remained uninterested in the debate.
Synonyms and how they differ
- indifferent
- Indifferent suggests a lack of feeling or concern about outcomes, while uninterested is about lacking curiosity.
- bored
- Bored means tired of something because it is dull, whereas uninterested need not involve boredom.
- apathetic
- Apathetic is stronger and more critical, describing a general lack of energy or concern.
- unmoved
- Unmoved focuses on not being affected emotionally, not on lacking curiosity.
Opposites
Word family
- interest noun
- a feeling of curiosity or concern
- interested adjective
- wanting to know or do something
- interesting adjective
- holding your attention
- uninteresting adjective
- dull, not holding attention
Commonly confused: uninterested or disinterested?
uninterested vs disinterested
Disinterested means impartial, having no personal stake, as a judge should be. Uninterested means not curious or engaged.
Practice
A neutral judge with no personal stake in the case is best described as ___.
Choose one answer.
Disinterested means impartial, which is what a neutral judge should be. Uninterested would suggest the judge did not care about the case at all.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “uninterested”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.