Apathy Definition: Not Caring, and Why It Matters

Apathy definition in everyday terms

Apathy is not anger, sadness or dislike. It is more like an empty space where interest should be. A person who is apathetic is not against something; they simply do not feel moved by it.

1. Lack of interest or concern. Not caring about an issue, event or result: public apathy about local elections.
2. Lack of emotion or energy. A flat, unmotivated state where little feels worth doing: a wave of apathy after the exams.

To define apathy in one word, many people choose indifference. Apathy usually suggests something deeper and more general, though.

Sentences using apathy and apathetic

• Turnout was low, and observers blamed voter apathy.
• By the end of the long project, the team's excitement had faded into apathy.
• He gave an apathetic shrug when asked where he wanted to eat.
• Teachers say student apathy is harder to deal with than bad behavior.
• Her apathy toward the club worried her friends, who knew how much she used to love it.

Apathy and empathy: a common mix-up

The words look alike because both contain the Greek pathos, feeling, but their meanings are far apart.

So the opposite of an empathetic friend could be an apathetic one, who hears your problem and does not seem to care.

From a Stoic ideal to a modern complaint

The Greek apatheia meant freedom from feeling or from suffering. For the Stoic philosophers it was a goal: a calm mind not ruled by fear, anger or desire. It was a positive state, closer to inner peace than to laziness. You can read more about that school of thought on our stoic page.

Apathy has been part of English since about 1600, borrowed through Latin and French. Over time the meaning shifted from calm self-control to the duller sense used today, a lack of interest or care, and it became mostly a criticism.

Apathy, laziness, ennui and indifference

• Laziness is not wanting to make an effort, even when you care about the result. Apathy means the caring itself has faded.
• Indifference is not caring about a particular thing. Apathy can be broader, covering many areas of life.
• Ennui is a weary boredom, often with a sense of dissatisfaction.
• Complacent describes being too satisfied to notice risks, not a lack of feeling.
• Jaded means tired of something after too much of it.

When apathy is a health sign

Doctors and psychologists use apathy for a lasting loss of motivation, interest and emotional response. It can appear with depression, and it is also seen in conditions such as dementia, Parkinson's disease and after a stroke or head injury. Some medicines and long-term stress or burnout can play a part as well. Apathy and depression overlap but are not identical: a depressed person often feels sad or hopeless, while apathy can feel more like numbness or flatness.

Where the word turns up

Politics and civic life: voter apathy, public apathy. Workplaces: managers worry about employee apathy and disengagement. Schools: teachers discuss student apathy toward homework. Social causes: campaigners try to overcome apathy about climate, health or charity. Health care, as above. More words on moods and character sit together on our page of character and emotion words.