Definitions for apathy
ˈæp ə θiap·a·thy

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.0 / 2 votes

1. apathynoun

   an absence of emotion or enthusiasm

2. apathy, indifference, numbness, spiritlessnessnoun

   the trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things generally

WiktionaryRate this definition:2.0 / 2 votes

1. apathynoun

   Complete lack of emotion or motivation about a person, activity, or object; depression; lack of interest or enthusiasm; disinterest.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Apathynoun

   The quality of not feeling; exemption from passion; freedom from mental perturbation.

   Etymology: α, not, and ϖάϑος, feeling.

   Of good and evil much they argued then,
   Passion, and apathy, and glory, and shame. John Milton, Paradise Lost.

   To remain insensible of such provocations, is not constancy, but apathy. South.

   In lazy apathy let stoicks boast
   Their virtue fix’d; ’tis fixed as in frost,
   Contracted all, retiring to the breast;
   But strength of mind is exercise, not rest. Alexander Pope.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:1.5 / 2 votes

1. Apathynoun

   want of feeling; privation of passion, emotion, or excitement; dispassion; -- applied either to the body or the mind. As applied to the mind, it is a calmness, indolence, or state of indifference, incapable of being ruffled or roused to active interest or exertion by pleasure, pain, or passion

FreebaseRate this definition:2.0 / 2 votes

1. Apathy

   Apathy is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation and passion. An apathetic individual has an absence of interest in or concern about emotional, social, spiritual, philosophical and/or physical life. They may lack a sense of purpose or meaning in their life. He or she may also exhibit insensibility or sluggishness. In positive psychology, apathy is described as a result of the individual feeling they do not possess the level of skill required to confront a challenge. It may also be a result of perceiving no challenge at all. In light of the insurmountable certainty of universal doom, apathy is the default mode of existential nihilism, and, as such, is not considered to be a pathological state by those who experience it..

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:4.0 / 2 votes

1. Apathy

   ap′ath-i, n. want of feeling: absence of passion: indifference.—adjs. Apathet′ic, Apathet′ical (rare).—adv. Apathet′ically. [Gr.; a, neg., pathos, feeling.]

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. apathy

   Song lyrics by apathy -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by apathy on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Feeling
   • Passivity

How to pronounce apathy?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say apathy in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of apathy in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of apathy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of apathy in a Sentence

1. Amador Medina:

   The Warao community here is reacting with apathy : most of the population is not aware of the seriousness of the case, culturally, they just consider The Warao community just another disease like diphtheria or malaria, just one more case.

2. Tim Caplinger:

   We're kind of fighting apathy.

3. Winning sentence, 1990 Bulwer-Lytton bad fiction contest.:

   Delores breezed along the surface of her life like a flat stone forever skipping along smooth water, rippling reality sporadically but oblivious to it consistently, until she finally lost momentum, sank, and due to an over- dose of flouride as a child which caused her to suffer from chronic apathy, doomed herself to lie forever on the floor of her life as useless as an appendix and as lonely as a five-hundred pound barbell in a steroid-free fitness center.

4. Frank Moore Colby:

   Persecution was at least a sign of personal interest. Tolerance is composed of nine parts apathy to one of brotherly love.

5. Helen Keller, My Religion, 1927:

   Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all - the apathy of human beings.

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