indifferent
in·dif·fer·ent/ɪnˈdɪf.ɹənt/adjective, noun
indifferent is spelled I-N-D-I-F-F-E-R-E-N-T: 11 letters and 4 syllables (in·dif·fer·ent). It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, indifferent means “Ambivalent; unconcerned; uninterested, apathetic” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in indifferent?
| Letters | 11: I-N-D-I-F-F-E-R-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: in·dif·fer·ent |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,228th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is indifferent?
Indifferent appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce indifferent?
- /ɪnˈdɪf.ɹənt/
- /ɪnˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt/
Indifferent has 4 syllables, split in·dif·fer·ent in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-indifferent.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of indifferent
- more indifferent comparative
- most indifferent superlative
- indifferents plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does indifferent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Ambivalent; unconcerned; uninterested, apathetic.
He was indifferent to the proposal, since it didn’t affect him, either way.
- 2
Indicating or reflecting a lack of concern or care.
She responded with an indifferent shrug.
- 3
Mediocre (usually used negatively in modern usage).
The long distance and the indifferent roads made the journey impossible.
- 4
Having no preference.
I am indifferent between the two plans.
- 5
datedUnbiased, impartial, judging fairly.
- 6
Not making a difference; without significance or importance.
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.
- 7
Being in the state of neutral equilibrium.
- 8
obsoleteNot different; matching.
noun
- 1
A person who is indifferent or apathetic.
adverb
- 1
obsoleteTo 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.
- 2
obsoleteWithout distinction or preference for some over others.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Indifferent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense not caring:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | indifférent |
| German | gleichgültig, teilnahmslos |
| Portuguese | indiferente |
| Spanish | indiferente, apático, desganado, ni le viene ni le va |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does indifferent come from?
From Old French indifferent, from Latin indifferens. By surface analysis, in- + different.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).