disinterested

disinterested

1. The use of disinterested to mean ‘uninterested’, although not a problem to Fowler (1926), is a keyword in current debates about correct usage. Those who rage most furiously are not always aware, however, that the word has changed its principal meaning several times during the nearly four centuries of its existence. It began by meaning ‘not interested’, then about 1650 developed the meaning ‘impartial, unbiased’, and has more recently tended to revert to its older meaning. These meanings reflect the different meanings of interest, as differently used in They showed no interest in the idea and They have an interest in the business.

2. The alternative word uninterested has had an opposite history, originally meaning ‘impartial’ and later meaning ‘not interested’, although it shows no sign of returning to its earlier meaning. The problem then lies with disinterested. Informed opinion is divided into those who believe that a useful distinction, between disinterested = impartial and uninterested = not interested, is being eroded, and those who are content to let disinterested serve as a synonym of uninterested as long as other words are available for the other meaning (impartial, neutral, objective, unbiased, unprejudiced).

3. The following examples of disinterested show the strong presence of both meanings in current usage: (= impartial)

• Many competent and disinterested experts on world poverty often stress the sterility of the East–West confrontation —Encounter, 1981

• She could imagine the coroner's disinterested voice —J. Bedford, 1984

• But of course none of the observers of twelfth-century England was disinterested —Antonia Fraser, 1988

• The doctor ran her hands round again, with the same disinterested precision —Sara Maitland, 1990

• American foreign policy has rarely been disinterestedly philanthropic —Scotland on Sunday, 2002

• (= not interested: note that in this meaning disinterested is often followed by in, on the analogy of uninterested) Washington ensured that he would appear to be what in fact he was, a republican gentleman disinterested in power —Times Literary Supplement, 1988

• She remains stubbornly neat and unadorned, disinterested in fashion —S. Johnson, 1990

(Australia)

• Those disinterested in oriental delicacies lounge on sofas, drinking glasses of potent Leffe beer —Sunday Herald (Glasgow), 1999.

4. The recommendation must be to restrict disinterested to the meaning ‘impartial’ and to use alternative words when necessary to avoid possible misunderstanding. Uninterested remains the standard and recommended form in the meaning ‘lacking interest’:

• I wouldn't say that —he was totally uninterested in both of us —Graham Greene, 1980

• He gave…a certain impression of being uninterested in people except at an agreeably superficial level —D. Fraser, 1982

• To viewers who are uninterested in politics, it was worse than the World Cup —Observer, 1990.