Disinterested or Uninterested?
At first glance, disinterested and uninterested might seem to convey the same thing — and in many people’s minds, they do. But these two adjectives do have distinct meanings.
Disinterested means unbiased
When someone is disinterested, it doesn’t specifically mean they’re not interested in what’s going on — they just don’t have a personal stake in it. They’re impartial. This is why you want a disinterested jury — they care about the case at hand, but they don’t bring personal bias. They can make a fair judgment. For example:
✅ She was the perfect mediator, because she was disinterested in the outcome.
✅ Not being involved in the case, the lawyer was able to give disinterested advice.
Uninterested means not interested
On the other hand, uninterested does mean someone is not interested in or not concerned about the matter at hand. You don’t want an uninterested judge, because you want them paying attention.
✅ The plot was awful, and I was completely uninterested by the vapid characters.
✅ They broke up because she was uninterested in his life.
