Words / A / General

apathy

/ˈæpəθi/

B2CEFR level
25/100Rarity: fairly common
NeutralRegister

General noun

A lack of interest, enthusiasm or concern.

Voter apathy meant that turnout fell to a record low.

Similar: indifference, listlessness, torpor

Topic: Advanced English in General English

Medicine noun

Lack of interest, emotion or motivation.

Profound apathy can be a sign of depression.

Similar: indifference, listlessness

Origin: Greek apatheia 'freedom from feeling'.

Topic: Mental health in Medical English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

Get words like apathy on your lock screen, a few a day, with review that makes them stick.

Download on the App Store Lexfall puts a new word on your home and lock screen through widgets, so you learn without opening an app. Free to download. After a free trial, a subscription unlocks every field. Built for iPhone, iOS 15.1 or later.
QR code that opens Lexfall on the App Store
On a computer?Scan with your iPhone camera.

More general words: Advanced English