disinterested
Pronunciation
  • IPA: /dɪˈsɪnt(ə)ɹɛstɪd/
Adjective

disinterested

  1. Having no stake or interest in the outcome; free of bias, impartial. [from 17th c.]
    • 1919, W. Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence, ch. 1:
      With his disinterested passion for art, he had a real desire to call the attention of the wise to a talent which was in the highest degree original; [...]
    • 2011, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature, Penguin 2012, p. 220:
      People are better off abjuring violence, if everyone else agrees to do so, and vesting authority in a disinterested third party.
  2. Uninterested, lacking interest. [from 17th c.]
    • 1684, Contempl. State of Man I. x
      How dis-interested are they in all Worldly matters, since they fling their Wealth and Riches into the Sea.
    • 1936, Djuna Barnes, Nightwood, Faber & Faber 2007, p. 43:
      Robin took to wandering again, to intermittent travel from which she came back hours, days later, disinterested.
    • 1967, Tommy Frazer, The Sun (Baltimore), "A 'Doctor' Of Karate", March 27
      Those spotted are usually taught so slowly that they grow disinterested and quit.
Translations Translations


This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.002
Offline English dictionary