Standard Lemma guide

disinterested

adj · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /(ˌ)dɪsˈɪntɹɪstɪd/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /(ˌ)dɪsˈɪnt(ə)ɹɛstɪd/
  • Received-Pronunciation: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /dɪsˈɪnt(ə)ɹəstəd/
  • General-American: /-ɾ(ə)ɹ-/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 S IH1 N T R IH0 S T IH0 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: D IH0 S IH1 N R IH0 S T IH0 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest; free of bias, impartial.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: detached, disinteressed, imprejudicate, unbiased, uninterested, candid, cold, clinical, egal, equal, equitable, evenhanded, fairhanded, fair-minded, disinterested, dispassionate, impartial, indifferent, indistinguishing, neuter, neutral, nonaligned, nonpartial, nonpartisan, nonpersonal, objective, unbigoted, unpartial, unpartisan, unprejudiced, unprepossessed

Antonyms: biased, interested, nondisinterested, partisan, prejudiced, undisinterested

2

adj

Meaning 2

Synonym of uninterested (“not interested; not concerned; indifferent”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: often, proscribed

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disinteressed, incurious, unaroused, unconcerned, adiaphroistic, apathetic, apathistical, blasé, blithe, deaf, cool, shiftless, dispassionate, dull, enervated, gallionic, halfhearted, heartless, impassive, ineffervescible, insouciant, indifferent, insensible, jaded, languid, languorous, Laodicean, lethargic, listless, lackadaisical, lotophagous, lukewarm, meh, mopey, nonchalant, nonplussed, otiose, phlegmatic, pococurante, spiritless, supine, tepid, torpid, torpedinous, uncaring, unenthusiastic, unimpressible, uninterested, unlively, unmoved, untouched, unzealous, world-weary

Antonyms: curious, fascinated, interested, nondisinterested, undisinterested

3

verb

Meaning 3

simple past and past participle of disinterest

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, participle, past

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

unaffected by self-interest

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From disinterest (“to cause to be impartial”, verb) + -ed (suffix forming past tense or past participle forms of verbs), or from dis- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + interested (“having a stake in; showing interest”, adjective).

From disinterest + -ed.

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: безкористен (bezkoristen) — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Catalan: desinteressat — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 超然 (chāorán) — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 公正 (gōngzhèng) — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 無私 /无私 (wúsī) — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Dutch: belangeloos — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Finnish: puolueeton — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • French: désintéressé — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • German: unparteiisch — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Greek: αφιλοκερδής (afilokerdís) — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Hungarian: elfogulatlan — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Hungarian: pártatlan — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Polish: bezinteresowny — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Polish: bezstronny — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Portuguese: desinteressado — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Russian: бескоры́стный (beskorýstnyj) — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Russian: беспристра́стный (bespristrástnyj) — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Russian: незаинтересо́ванный (nezainteresóvannyj) — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Serbo-Croatian: непристрасан — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Serbo-Croatian: nepristrasan — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Spanish: desinteresado — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Spanish: desinteresal — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Swedish: ojävig — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Ukrainian: безкори́сливий (bezkorýslyvyj) — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Ukrainian: незаціка́влений (nezacikávlenyj) — having no interest or stake in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest
  • Catalan: desinteressat — ''synonym of'' uninterested ''(cognates)''
  • German: desinteressiert — ''synonym of'' uninterested ''(cognates)''
  • Romanian: dezinteresat — ''synonym of'' uninterested ''(cognates)''
  • Spanish: desinteresado — ''synonym of'' uninterested ''(cognates)''
  • Spanish: desinteresal — ''synonym of'' uninterested ''(cognates)''