indifferent

See also indifférent

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

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Adjective

indifferent (comparative more indifferent, superlative most indifferent)

1. Not caring or concerned; uninterested, apathetic.

   He was indifferent to the proposal, since it didn't affect him, either way.

2. Mediocre, usually used negatively in modern usage.

   The long distance and the indifferent roads made the journey impossible.

   The performance of Blue Jays has been indifferent during this season.

3. Having no preference or bias, being impartial.

   I am indifferent between the two plans.

4. Not significant in size or amount, immaterial.

   Even if one appliance consumes an indifferent amount of energy when left on stand-by overnight, together they can represent 10% of the electricity demand of a household.

5. (mechanics) Being in the state of neutral equilibrium.

Quotations

• a. 1600, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, act 4, scene 1:

  Let their heads be sleekly combed their blue coats brushed and their garters of an indifferent knit

Translations

not caring

• American Sign Language: 1@Nose-FingerBack 1@FromNose-FingerForward
• Czech: lhostejný (cs) m
• Dutch: onverschillig (nl)
• Finnish: välinpitämätön (fi)
• French: indifférent (fr)
• German: gleichgültig (de), teilnahmslos (de)
• Hindi: रूखा (hi) (rūkhā)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: پشت گوێخستن

• Polish: obojętny m
• Portuguese: indiferente (pt)
• Romanian: indiferent (ro) m and n, apatic (ro) m and n
• Russian: равнодушный (ru) (ravnodúšnyj) , безразличный (ru) (bezrazlíčnyj) , безучастный (ru) (bezučástnyj) 
• Scottish Gaelic: coma (gd)
• Swedish: likgiltig (sv)

mediocre, usually used negatively

• Finnish: keskinkertainen (fi), mitäänsanomaton (fi), yhdentekevä (fi)
• Irish: lagmheasartha (ga)

• Polish: mierny m, marny m
• Russian: посредственный (ru) (posrédstvennyj) 

having no preference

• Finnish: puolueeton (fi)

not significant

• Finnish: mitätön (fi), merkityksetön (fi), vähäinen (fi)

mechanics: being in neutral equilibrium

• Finnish: indifferentti (fi)

• Romanian: indiferent (ro) m and n

Adverb

indifferent

1. (obsolete) To some extent, in some degree (intermediate between very and not at all); moderately, tolerably, fairly.

   The face of the Moon appearing to me to be full of indifferent high mountains...

Usage notes

• Now obsolete, but very common c. 1600-1730.

References

• Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, 1989

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Middle French

Adjective

indifferent m (feminine singular indifferente, masculine plural indifferents, feminine plural indifferentes)

1. indifferent; apathetic