While many writers still follow the traditional use of disinterested. That was a handy thing, because then we had a distinction between. Uninterested means not interested or arousing no interest. Uninterested if a new movie stars an actor you cant stand, are you disinterested or uninterested in paying to go see it on opening night. Sep 28, 2008 grammar uninterested vs disinterested if this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. Traditionally, the words disinterested and uninterested have different meanings. A video summary here is a short video summarizing the difference between disinterested and uninterested. Please see our confusing words and homonyms tab for our entries disinterested, uninterested and.
Mar 26, 2017 continuing with our series on confusing words in english vocabulary, we will learn the difference between uninterested and disinterested in this video. Lets take a quick look at disinterested and uninterested. An uninterested person is bored, unconcerned, or indifferent. Many foreign commentators focused on this issue, perhaps unaware that italians are relatively uninterested in it a man with a walkietalkie approached us, then two errant hounds frantic and uninterested in sandwiches his manner was aloof, and he is said to have been uninterested in his familys concerns government leaders seem uninterested or unwilling to commit to program changes. Putting out the patrol for madeup words grammar and punctuation. This sense became outmoded in the 18th century, when disinterested was taken to mean impartial or objective. If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. Read this tip to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser.
The disinterested person is not selfishly motivated and has no personal interest or stake in the outcome of an event. This book, like all of grammar girls prior books and podcasts, is well written with easytounderstand examples. Vivian became also one of the audience, and not an uninterested one. Disinterested and uninterested the words disinterested and uninterested do not mean the same thing. Author of the original blue book of grammar and punctuation. Heavyweight disinterested has featherweight uninterested on the ropes. But there is a difference, and to avoid confusion, you should be aware of what that difference is what does disinterested mean when someone doesnt have a vested interest in a matter, or doesnt have a horse in that race, we can say that this person is disinterested. The fact is she is not a dispassionate or disinterested witness in this case governments in australia need to be interested in productivity but they appear fundamentally disinterested at one in the morning, the canadian border patrol guards were bored and disinterested a few women, however, began disinterested and grew more interested in the program over time. The girl was totally uninterested in the boy sitting next to her. Oct 28, 2015 welcome to the real vocabulary series.
Disinterested and uninterested are two entirely different words, with entirely different meanings and are not replaceable by each other. Many would interpret the judge was disinterested to mean that the judge didnt care. Disinterested and uninterested have different meanings, but people are starting to confuse them. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. The zero tolerance approach to punctuation by lynne truss, the elements of style by william strunk jr.
She has an uninterested look when i showed her the latest computer. Which versus that grammar girl quick and dirty tips. The sticklers insist that disinterested can only mean impartial, unbiased. The short answer is yes but we need a longer answer because things are a little complicated. Since bootlegging catch22 cat idioms cat nap christmas expressions climactic vs. Interestingly, when these words were first introduced their meanings were the reverse, with disinterested originally meaning lacking interest, and uninterested meaning unbiased. These two words have been duking it out, but the battle may be over for uninterested. It is usually used to describe a person with no personal benefit at stake. A disinterested person has no stake in the outcome. Same as literally is a synonym for figuratively according to the oed. In todays usage, disinterested most often means not biased, whereas uninterested simply means not interested. Disinterested and uninterested have different meanings, but people. Tens of thousands of volunteers, many of whom had been.
Getting a girl to take notice of you can be a challenge, but it may be even harder to get an uninterested girl to fall for you. If you are trying to win over a girl who has turned you down or who just doesnt seem to notice you exist, there are several things you can do. If youre uninterested, youre bored, unconcerned, or indifferent. To be disinterested means to be impartial, free from bias, or indifferent. By identifying your clauses as defining or nondefining, you can easily remember when to use which and when to use that. To be uninterested means having no interest in something. The difference between disinterested and uninterested. Uninterested definition and meaning collins english. Here are but a few madeup words we and our readers have singled. Uninterested definition for englishlanguage learners from. Here are five mistakes to avoid when blogging and writing web copy.
Unless youre a lawyer, the word youre generally looking for is uninterested, but a quick news search shows that disinterested is frequently misused by the media. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Check out these two examples from tom sants book persuasive. That was a handy thing, because then we had a distinction between disinterested and uninterested not interested. What is the difference between disinterested and uninterested. For well over a hundred years, traditionalists have insisted that disinterested can only mean impartial or unbiased, and that using it to mean not interested is simply wrong.
Of courage undaunted, possessing a firmness and perseverance of purpose which nothing but impossibilities could divert from its direction. Grammar girls 101 misused words youll never confuse again is a gentle. If you want a disinterested, or unbiased opinion, dont ask your exboyfriend if you can ask his brother out. As a memory aid, remember that disinterested people have no dog in the race.
Interestingly, when these words were first introduced their meanings were the reverse, with disinterested originally meaning lacking interest, and. If you are uninterested in something or someone, you do not want to know any more about. Grammar girl, for example, is in no doubt about this. Lifetips is the place to go when you need to know about commonly confused words and other writing topics. Oct 05, 2006 disinterested once meant not interested, back in the 17th century. Five grammatical errors that make you look dumb copyblogger. As another example, if youre on trial, you want a disinterested judge. For example, when you are arguing with someone, you might bring in a disinterested third. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. But the sentence actually means that the judge was unbiased.
A common error is disinterested impartial, often used to mean uninterested. Heres grammar girl explaining the differences, if thats helpful. Disinterested means unbiased, while uninterested means inattentive. Disinterested disinterested means not taking sides or impartial. Disinterested can mean the same thing, and can be used in the same sentence. Nov 18, 2014 the dont dis disinterested blog provides some excellent examples of why for me the word disinterested means lost interest in something previously interested in e. Whats the difference between disinterested and uninterested. Dec 26, 2016 traditionally, the words disinterested and uninterested have different meanings. He seemed uninterested in our problems, so we stopped asking him for help. She is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame, and the show is a fivetime winner of best education podcast in the podcast awards. Uninterested definition and meaning collins english dictionary. In this book, ive highlighted 101 troublesome words that people often. The system of rules for modifying the structure of language, however, is always spelled grammar. Life spoke most earnestly and well to an uninterested group of women.
Smashing grammar 2019 written by the founder of grammar monster, smashing grammar includes a glossary of grammar. Can this word be used as a synonym for uninterested. Disinterested traditionally means having no stake in the matter. Disinterest is sometimes used to mean both of these things. You can be both uninterested and disinterested, or one but not the other. The uninterested and perplexed faces of the marshals showed that they were puzzled as to what balashevs tone suggested.
The uninterested person, by contrast, simply has no interest and doesnt care those who were never taught this distinction often assume disinterested and uninterested are interchangeable, and they tend to choose disinterested when they mean not. All good referees must be disinterested uninterested means not showing any interest. In this video, scott thornbury talks about the meaning of disinterested. In other words, not having a personal interest at stake.
While many writers still follow the traditional use of disinterested, it is not uncommon to see the word being used in place of uninterested nowadays. If you are ready to learn more, study up on defining and nondefining clauses. When i delivered the manuscript of the book murder your darlings to my. Grammar girls 101 misused words youll never confuse again by. About 40 years before that, however, disinterested had a second meaning, a meaning that has since been transferred to uninterested, which means unconcerned or having no interest in a situation. On the other hand, disinterested means without personal involvement. The fairest decision often comes from disinterested parties, but they might be uninterested in helping to resolve the issue. He seemed disinterested in our problems, so we stopped asking him for help. Definition of uninterested written for english language learners from the merriamwebster learners dictionary with audio pronunciations, usage examples, and countnoncount noun labels. Uninterested is now not interested and disinterested is now unbiased. And so he dug through the centuries of history that led to these ruleslike when one must use disinterested vs. While cautious writers still observe this distinction in formal writing, other people use these two terms in the same manner nowadays. If you are writing about kelsey grammer, or, for some reason.
Conor mcgregor uninterested in facing undefeated khabib nurmagomedov fansided biden uninterested in serving in clinton administration dhaka tribune in the traditional context, a disinterested person is someone who is impartial or unbiased in a particular issue or case while an uninterested person is someone who is unconcerned or. Disinterested meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Four years after lewis death, thomas jefferson wrote. Continuing with our series on confusing words in english vocabulary, we will learn the difference between uninterested and disinterested in this video. Disinterested, as we use it today, was first used in the 1650s. We recently heard from a reader who defended using disinterested to mean uninterested. Uninterested synonyms, uninterested antonyms merriam. To most language mavens, this amounts to high treason. A may grammarbook newsletter article cited english as having as. Examples from the corpus uninterested but he was still to all intents and purposes uninterested. Disinterested having no personal involvement or receiving no personal advantage, and therefore free to act fairly.
Its the second and less used meaning but its correct. Heres what to say to that jerk who corrects your grammar. A new book fights back against the marauding bands of people who want to. In the traditional context, a disinterested person is someone who is impartial or unbiased in a particular issue or case while an uninterested person is someone who is unconcerned or indifferent about the said issue or case. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller. Mignon fogarty, grammar girl, wrote a nyt bestseller, grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Disinterested once meant not interested, back in the 17th century. Disinterested and dog each begin with the same letter, so you should have no trouble picking disinterested or uninterested in your writing.
Uninterested definition for englishlanguage learners. Uninterested means not wanting to learn more about something or become involved in something, as in this example. Disinterested, uninterested you can be both uninterested and disinterested, or one but not the other. The words disinterested and uninterested are sometimes used as if they have the same meaning. Heavyweight disinterested has featherweight uninterested on the ropes if you want a disinterested, or unbiased opinion, dont ask your exboyfriend if you can ask his brother out. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. But there is a difference, and to avoid confusion, you should be aware of what that difference is. Shea explains that while like might be a staple of the valley girl.
607 1447 284 240 918 34 1020 573 1449 599 450 103 703 494 1565 220 425 958 996 537 1340 1564 1413 118 1607 1507 46 185 58 1468 938 860 1064 956 730 1198 81