Def of apathetic


Apathetic Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

ap·​a·​thet·​ic ˌa-pə-ˈthe-tik 

: affected by, characterized by, or displaying apathy: having or showing little or no interest, concern, or emotion

apathetic voters

apathetic indifference

an apathetic attitude/response

It's really easy to feel apathetic about politics and forget how much they affect our daily lives. Emily Shwake

NFL fans and media members are mostly apathetic toward the exhibition games. Henry McKenna

Even with Doppler radar and networks of spotters, many residents of Tornado Alley are surprisingly apathetic. Warren Faidley

She was listless, apathetic, calm with the calmness of a woman who knows she can suffer no further. Frank Norris

Children or teens who are … depressed and apathetic … Victoria L. Dunckley

People with abnormally low levels of thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism) are often listless and apathetic; in fact, the symptoms may look very much like endogenous depression. Lester Grinspoon et al.

… there is no emotion and she remains apathetic to all around her. leitrimobserver.ie

apathetically

ˌa-pə-ˈthe-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

Apathy, or lack of emotion, is central to Albert Camus's famous novel The Stranger, in which the main character's indifference toward almost everything, including his mother's death, results in his imprisonment. We feel little sympathy for him, and may even feel antipathy, or dislike. The American voter is often called apathetic; of all the industrial democracies, only in America does half the adult population fail to vote in major elections. As you can see, apathetic isn't the opposite of pathetic, even though the a- that it begins with means "not" or "without".

Synonyms

  • casual
  • complacent
  • disinterested
  • incurious
  • indifferent
  • insensible
  • insouciant
  • nonchalant
  • perfunctory
  • pococurante
  • unconcerned
  • uncurious
  • uninterested

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Example Sentences

But contrary to popular belief, not all jocks are as apathetic as they are athletic. One such progressive player is Toni Smith, a college basketball player who turned her back on Old Glory every time the national anthem was played before her games last season. In a written statement, she cited America's systemic inequalities as her reason for not saluting the flag. Complex, June/July 2003 The disorder is sometimes inherited via a defective gene from one parent, and patients are usually spared signs of the disorder until they reach their fifties. Because the brain-cell loss occurs in parts of the brain that help regulate social behavior, personality changes are the most common manifestations of the illness. Patients tend to become either uninhibited or apathetic. Bruce L. Miller, Discover, January 1998 But in cities such as Boston, Cincinnati, Oakland, San Francisco, and Seattle, reformers are trying to recharge an apathetic electorate by taking aim at the very process of voting itself. Wilma Rule et al., Ms., September/October 1996

Young people are becoming increasingly apathetic. the apathetic attitude of the public Surprisingly, most Americans are apathetic toward this important issue. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Recent polls show many Americans are apathetic about the state of the pandemic and disinclined to keep getting boosters. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 26 Oct. 2022 Washington, with a chance to start 2-0 for the first time since 2011, could use a victory to try to win back some of a fan base that has become increasingly apathetic. Mark Heim | [email protected], al, 18 Sep. 2022 But the Kremlin understands this would be an unpopular decision among the pacified and apathetic Russian public. Matthew Bodner, NBC News, 18 Sep. 2022 On the opposite side of the divisive issue, the Supreme Court decision has galvanized some once-apathetic voters, who are now keenly aware of the stakes of political participation. Stephanie Ebbert, BostonGlobe.com, 27 July 2022 In San Francisco, the general attitude toward cars is somewhat apathetic. Nick Czap, Robb Report, 8 July 2022 Since the security law was introduced, tens of thousands of residents have left the city while others grew apathetic over politics. Elaine Yu, WSJ, 1 July 2022 Yet some people seem to remain apathetic in the face of impending catastrophe. Andrew Weaver, Outside Online, 1 Feb. 2022 When the debate became a comparison of Bengals' fans vs. Browns' fans, Blackistone questioned Yates' claim that many Browns' fans are apathetic. Dave Clark, The Enquirer, 15 July 2022 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin apathēticus, from a- a- entry 2 + pathēticus pathetic, after apathīa apathy

First Known Use

1692, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of apathetic was in 1692

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near

apathetic

apatheia

apathetic

apathogenic

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

Style

MLAChicagoAPAMerriam-Webster

“Apathetic.Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apathetic. Accessed 11 Nov. 2022.

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Kids Definition

apathetic

ap·​a·​thet·​ic ˌap-ə-ˈthet-ik 

: having or showing little or no feeling or interest

apathetically

-ˈthet-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

apathetic

ap·​a·​thet·​ic ˌap-ə-ˈthet-ik 

: having or showing little or no feeling or emotion

apathetically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on

apathetic

Nglish: Translation of apathetic for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of apathetic for Arabic Speakers

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Apathy Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

ap·​a·​thy ˈa-pə-thē 

1

: lack of feeling or emotion : impassiveness

drug abuse leading to apathy and depression

2

: lack of interest or concern: indifference

political apathy

Did you know?

Apathy, impassivity, and indifference all denote a lack of responsiveness to something that might normally excite interest or emotion. Apathy suggests a puzzling or deplorable inertness or lack of passion, as in “the problem of continued voter apathy.” Impassivity stresses the absence of any external sign of emotion in action or facial expression, as in “teachers frustrated by the impassivity of their students.” Indifference connotes a lack of interest in or concern about something, as in “the company’s apparent indifference to the needs of its employees.”

Did you know?

There's no reason to be uncaring about the origins of apathy—though there is a clue to the word's beginnings in this sentence. Apathy was borrowed into English in the late 16th century from Greek apatheia, which itself comes from the adjective apathēs, meaning "without feeling." Apathēs, in turn, was formed by combining the negating prefix a- with pathos, meaning "emotion." Incidentally, if you've guessed that pathos is the source of the identically spelled noun in English (meaning either "an element in experience or in artistic representation evoking pity or compassion" or "an emotion of sympathetic pity"), you are correct. Pathos also gave us such words as antipathy, empathy, sympathy, pathetic, and even the archaic word pathematic ("emotional").

Synonyms

  • affectlessness
  • emotionlessness
  • impassiveness
  • impassivity
  • insensibility
  • numbness
  • phlegm

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Example Sentences

That's the danger of a teeming cast of … characters: they get jumbled in the viewer's mind, and … apathy ensues. Novels can afford a rich banquet of personalities; it's what readers sign up for. But ratiocination isn't welcome in modern movies, which prefer visceral impact over intellect. Richard Corliss, Time, 20 Oct. 2008 But short of such complete apathy, there are other neurological conditions in which the capacity for genuine emotion is compromised. One sees this in some forms of autism, in the "flat affect" of some schizophrenics.  … But here, as with Harry, music can often break through, if only in a limited way or for a brief time, and release seemingly normal emotions. Oliver Sacks, Musicophilia, 2008 According to the polls, "the American people, as opposed to some of their leaders, seek no converts to their ideology. " And they are not "cultural imperialists." Maybe not. But this reserve seems grounded less in humility (60 percent of Americans consider their culture "superior to others") than in apathy. Robert Wright, New York Times Book Review, 14 May 2006 The result could well be further inequality of political information, with avid followers of politics becoming ever more knowledgeable while the rest of the public slips deeper into political apathy. Martin P. Wattenberg, Atlantic, October 1998

People have shown surprising apathy toward these important social problems. People have shown a surprising apathy toward these problems. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Had not a generation of scholars already created an intellectual cottage industry around America’s apathy during the Shoah? The Salt Lake Tribune, 20 Sep. 2022 Climate fatalism and apathy can be obstacles to enacting sweeping climate action. Joan Meiners, The Arizona Republic, 29 June 2022 The only thing that has reliably roused the public from its apathy is novelty. Gideon Lewis-kraus, The New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2022 The government has been criticized for several lynchings of Muslims by Hindu mobs with police indifference and judicial apathy over the past years. Ahmet T. Kuru, The Conversation, 12 June 2022 Reversing apathy in a sport already lacking new enthusiasm is akin to a magic trick. Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 5 May 2022 People look the other way out of apathy or complicity—or fear. Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2022 For some booster-shy Americans, though, the fact that the current offerings had grown dated was the source of their apathy. Benjamin Mueller, BostonGlobe.com, 4 July 2022 The prospect of public apathy is already deeply vexing the establishment. Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 9 June 2022 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French apathie, borrowed from Latin apathīa, borrowed from Greek apatheîa, noun derivative of apathḗs "not suffering, without passion or feeling, impassive," from a- a- entry 2 + -pathēs, adjective derivative of páthos "experience, misfortune, emotion" — more at pathos

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of apathy was in 1594

See more words from the same year

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Dictionary Entries Near

apathy

apathogenic

apathy

apatite

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

Style

MLAChicagoAPAMerriam-Webster

“Apathy.Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apathy. Accessed 11 Nov. 2022.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

apathy

ap·​a·​thy ˈap-ə-thē 

: lack of feeling or of interest

Medical Definition

apathy

ap·​a·​thy ˈap-ə-thē 

: lack of feeling or emotion

More from Merriam-Webster on

apathy

Nglish: Translation of apathy for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of apathy for Arabic Speakers

Britannica. com: Encyclopedia article about apathy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Merriam-Webster unabridged

doughty

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  • Peelheads Berties
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lethargic

Home \ Small Academic Dictionary \ Antes - Arabic

< lethargy apathy >

, ; -CH , -CH ON, -CH .

1.

app. to "apathy".

Apathetic state.

||

Expressing apathy.

Occasionally he raised his apathetic eyes, glanced at the author, and lowered them again. He, apparently, was indifferent to this reading, and to literature - in general, to everything around him. I. Goncharov, Literary evening.

2.

Prone to apathy; indifferent, lethargic.

Stolz said about him [Oblomov] that he was apathetic, that nothing interested him. I. Goncharov, Oblomov.

[Kobzev] did not recognize Alexei: he was apathetic, distracted, even depressed. Azhaev, Far from Moscow.

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