Word: indifferent (adjective)

Associations

"Indifferent" means not caring much about something, showing no strong feeling or interest.

• When someone is indifferent to a movie, it means they don’t like it but don’t dislike it either.
• If a person is indifferent to the outcome of a game, they don’t care who wins or loses.
• You can say "She was indifferent to the news," meaning she showed no strong reaction. A close synonym is "apathetic," but "apathetic" usually means more extreme lack of interest or emotion, while "indifferent" can be milder or neutral.

Substitution

You can replace "indifferent" with:

• unconcerned (not worried or interested)
• neutral (not supporting any side)
• uninterested (not interested) Each changes the meaning slightly. For example, "neutral" focuses on not choosing sides, while "indifferent" focuses on lack of feeling.

Deconstruction

The word "indifferent" comes from Latin:

• prefix "in-" means "not"
• root "different" means "different" or "showing difference" Together, "indifferent" means "not showing difference" or "not caring about difference."

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you felt indifferent about something? What was it?
• How is being indifferent different from being bored or uninterested?
• Can being indifferent sometimes be helpful or harmful? Why?