Word Choice: Disinterested vs. Uninterested

Look at the words ‘disinterested’ and ‘uninterested’. Pretty alike, yes? So they must mean the same, or at least something similar?

Unfortunately, things are rarely so simple with the English language. Although ‘disinterested’ and ‘uninterested’ are both antonyms for ‘interested’, they have importantly distinct meanings.

Disinterested (Unbiased by Personal Interest)

The term ‘disinterested’ means ‘not influenced by personal advantage’ and reflects the idea of being objective or unbiased about something:

The dispute ended only after we intervened as a disinterested party.

Here, ‘disinterested’ is opposed to ‘interested’ understood as ‘being involved in’ or ‘standing to benefit from’ something.

For instance, politicians are supposed to declare their ‘interests’ to avoid the possibility of corruption. Likewise, in any realm where objectivity is important, such as science or law, being ‘disinterested’ is desirable.

Uninterested (Bored or Unconcerned)

Being ‘uninterested’, on the other hand, simply describes being bored by or indifferent towards something:

Despite the teacher’s efforts, the students remained uninterested.

The sense of ‘interest’ drawn upon here is that of being curious about or engaged by something, so ‘uninterested’ is the opposite of this.

Disinterested or Uninterested?

One good way to remember the difference between these terms is to imagine a laboratory with two scientists: Scientist A and Scientist B.

Scientist A is good at her job because she is disinterested and always strives to maintain objectivity, putting aside her personal interests for the good of her research.

Scientist B is bad at his job because he is uninterested. Instead of doing any work, he spends his days playing with Bunsen burners and checking Facebook.

One of these scientists will not be getting his research grant renewed, but at least this illustrates why you don’t want to mix up ‘disinterested’ and ‘uninterested’ in your work! Remember:

Disinterested = Objective

Uninterested = Bored