Join In
Twitter
YouTube
Weekly Newsletter
Libraries
A-Z Grammatical Terms
A-Z Confused Words
FAQs by Writers
A-Z Awkward Plurals
Punctuation Lessons
Common Mistakes
(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Grammar Videos
(ordered by category) Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
for your browser
(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Grammar Videos
(ordered by category) Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
for your browser
Disinterested or Uninterested?
What Is the Difference between "Disinterested" and "Uninterested"?
"Disinterested" and "uninterested" are easy to confuse because both meanings relate to having no interest. However, their meanings are different.- "Disinterested" means impartial. For example:
- Jury members must be disinterested in the case.
- "Uninterested" means not interested.
- The students are uninterested in the new policy.

More about "Disinterested"
"Disinterested" means "not taking sides" or "impartial." It is usually used to describe a person with no personal benefit at stake.- We are struggling to identify twelve disinterested people for the jury.
- An investigation into the penalty decision has reportedly uncovered that the referee was not disinterested in the outcome of the match.
- Most of the spectators at the football match were disinterested. (This is only correct if the writer means that most the spectators did not support one side or the other. The match may have been very interesting.)
More about "Uninterested"
"Uninterested" means "not interested." It is the consequence of something being uninteresting (i.e., boring or uneventful).- Paul, I am quickly becoming uninterested in your ideas.
- I used to collect stamps, but I am uninterested these days.
A Video Summary
Here is a short video summarizing the difference between "disinterested" and "uninterested."Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos.
Ready for the Test?
Help Us Improve Grammar Monster
- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?
Find Us Quicker!
- When using a search engine (e.g., Google, Bing), you will find Grammar Monster quicker if you add #gm to your search term.