uninterested
adjective
Disinterested vs. Uninterested: Usage Guide
Disinterested and uninterested have a tangled history. Uninterested originally meant impartial, but this sense fell into disuse during the 18th century. About the same time the original sense of disinterested also disappeared, with uninterested developing a new sense—the present meaning—to take its place. The original sense of uninterested is still out of use, but the original sense of disinterested revived in the early 20th century. The revival has since been under frequent attack as an illiteracy and a blurring or loss of a useful distinction. Actual usage shows otherwise. The "free from selfish interest" sense of disinterested is still its most frequent sense, especially in edited prose; it shows no sign of vanishing. Further, disinterested has developed an additional sense—"no longer interested"—perhaps influenced by the "deprive of" sense of the prefix dis-, that contrasts with uninterested.
Jack London, letter, 1914
Still, use of the "not interested" and "no longer interested" senses of disinterested will incur the disapproval of some who may not fully appreciate the history of this word or the subtleties of its present use.
Synonyms
Examples of uninterested in a Sentence
Susie Violet Ward, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024
Untouched and uninterested, the toy just took up space in the home.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Burton is often criticized, rightly, for seeming uninterested in human beings.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2024
Research shows that traditional teaching approaches in math and science often leave students feeling disconnected and uninterested.
—Marybeth Gasman, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for uninterested 
Dictionary Entries Near uninterested
Cite this Entry
“Uninterested.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uninterested. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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