Monday, September 3, 2018

Usage: Uninterested vs. Disinterested

This is an issue I’m seeing a lot in published books, which have presumably passed by editors. Disinterested has become a trendy word in books the last few years. However, it does not mean the same as uninterested.

Uninterested means one is not interested in something; indifferent.

Disinterested means one is impartial and unbiased; lacking a conflict of interest.

You want a judge to be disinterested but not necessarily uninterested. You will rarely, if ever, see disinterested outside of legal contexts.

Trick to Remember
If something is uninteresting, you are uninterested in it. If you are disinterested, you are distancing yourself from the interested parties in a conflict.

No comments:

Post a Comment