Meanings
plural apathies
- uncountableusuallyLack of emotion or motivation; lack of interest or enthusiasm towards something; disinterest (in something).
I opened it with apathy; the theory which he attempts to demonstrate and the wonderful facts which he relates soon changed this feeling into enthusiasm.
1818, Mary Shelley, chapter 2, in Frankenstein, archived from the original on 03 Apr 2012Synonyms: indifference, neutrality, unconcern, acedia, accedie, boredom, carefreeness, carelessness · Antonyms: concern, sympathy, interest, care
Synonyms & antonyms
nounLack of emotion or motivation; lack of interest or enthusiasm towards something; disinterest (in something).
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things generally
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekἀπάθεια“impassibility”, “insensibility”, “freedom from emotion”
- Latinapathīa
- Frenchapathie
- Englishapathy
From French apathie, from Latin apathīa, from Ancient Greek ἀπάθεια (apátheia, “impassibility”, “insensibility”, “freedom from emotion”), from ἀπαθής (apathḗs, “not suffering or having suffered”, “without experience of”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + πάθος (páthos, “anything that befalls one”, “incident”, “emotion”, “passion”). Doublet of apatheia, which was borrowed directly from Ancient Greek.
More words from French, Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans apatie
- apatielack of emotion or motivation
Ancient Greek ἀκηδία
- ἀκηδία (akēdía)lack of emotion or motivation
Arabic لَامُبَالَاة, عَدَم اِكْتِرَاث
- لَامُبَالَاة (lā-mubālāh)lack of emotion or motivation
- عَدَم اِكْتِرَاث (ʕadam iktirāṯ)lack of emotion or motivation
- خُمُول (ḵumūl)lack of emotion or motivation
Basque apatia
- apatialack of emotion or motivation
Bulgarian апа́тия, нечувстви́телност
- апа́тия (apátija)lack of emotion or motivation
- нечувстви́телност (nečuvstvítelnost)lack of emotion or motivation
- равноду́шие (ravnodúšie)lack of emotion or motivation
Catalan apatia
- apatialack of emotion or motivation
Chinese Mandarin 冷漠
- 冷漠 (lěngmò)lack of emotion or motivation
Czech apatie
- apatielack of emotion or motivation
Danish apati
- apatilack of emotion or motivation
Dutch apathie, apathie
- apathielack of emotion or motivation
- apathielack of emotion or motivation
Esperanto apatio
- apatiolack of emotion or motivation
Estonian ükskõiksus, apaatia
- ükskõiksuslack of emotion or motivation
- apaatialack of emotion or motivation
Finnish apatia, välinpitämättömyys
- apatialack of emotion or motivation
- välinpitämättömyyslack of emotion or motivation
- apaattisuuslack of emotion or motivation
French apathie
- apathielack of emotion or motivation
German Apathie, Phlegma
- Apathielack of emotion or motivation
- Phlegmalack of emotion or motivation
Greek απάθεια
- απάθεια (apátheia)lack of emotion or motivation
Hebrew אדישות, אָפַּתְיָה
- אדישות (adishut)lack of emotion or motivation
- אָפַּתְיָה (apatia)lack of emotion or motivation
Hindi अनुरागहीनता, उदासीनता
- अनुरागहीनता (anurāghīntā)lack of emotion or motivation
- उदासीनता (udāsīntā)lack of emotion or motivation
- उपेक्षा (upekṣā)lack of emotion or motivation
- संवेदनहीनता (samvednahīntā)lack of emotion or motivation
Hungarian apátia, közöny
- apátialack of emotion or motivation
- közönylack of emotion or motivation
- közönyösséglack of emotion or motivation
- fásultságlack of emotion or motivation
- érdektelenséglack of emotion or motivation
Icelandic áhugaleysi, sinnuleysi
- áhugaleysilack of emotion or motivation
- sinnuleysilack of emotion or motivation
- tilfinningaleysilack of emotion or motivation
Irish fuarchúis, patuaire
- fuarchúislack of emotion or motivation
- patuairelack of emotion or motivation
- dímhothúlack of emotion or motivation
- fuachtlack of emotion or motivation
- fuarthélack of emotion or motivation
- támhlack of emotion or motivation
Italian apatia
- apatialack of emotion or motivation
Japanese 無感動, 無関心
- 無感動 (mukandō)lack of emotion or motivation
- 無関心 (mukanshin)lack of emotion or motivation
Korean 무감동, 무관심
- 무감동 (mugamdong)lack of emotion or motivation
- 무관심 (mugwansim)lack of emotion or motivation
- 냉담 (naengdam)lack of emotion or motivation
Latin apathīa, dūritia
- apathīalack of emotion or motivation
- dūritialack of emotion or motivation
Latvian apātija
- apātijalack of emotion or motivation
Māori ngākaukore, arokore
- ngākaukorelack of emotion or motivation
- arokorelack of emotion or motivation
- iwingohelack of emotion or motivation
- koroukorelack of emotion or motivation
Polish apatia, tępota
- apatialack of emotion or motivation
- tępotalack of emotion or motivation
Portuguese apatia, desânimo
- apatialack of emotion or motivation
- desânimolack of emotion or motivation
Romanian apatie
- apatielack of emotion or motivation
Russian апа́тия, безразли́чие
- апа́тия (apátija)lack of emotion or motivation
- безразли́чие (bezrazlíčije)lack of emotion or motivation
- равноду́шие (ravnodúšije)lack of emotion or motivation
Slovak apatia, ľahostajnosť
- apatialack of emotion or motivation
- ľahostajnosťlack of emotion or motivation
- nevšímavosťlack of emotion or motivation
Spanish apatía, displicencia
- apatíalack of emotion or motivation
- displicencialack of emotion or motivation
Swedish apati
- apatilack of emotion or motivation
Tamil அக்கறையின்மை
- அக்கறையின்மை (akkaṟaiyiṉmai)lack of emotion or motivation
Turkish apati
- apatilack of emotion or motivation
Ukrainian апа́тія, байду́жість
- апа́тія (apátija)lack of emotion or motivation
- байду́жість (bajdúžistʹ)lack of emotion or motivation
- байду́жність (bajdúžnistʹ)lack of emotion or motivation
Welsh difaterwch, difrawder
- difaterwchlack of emotion or motivation
- difrawderlack of emotion or motivation
Yiddish אַפּאַטיע
- אַפּאַטיע (apatye)lack of emotion or motivation
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
apathy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apathy
“apathy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apathy. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “apathy,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apathy.
Source: apathy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.