

Lorene Cary, Black Ice, 1991 Somehow, I remember the fireworks man as solitary, aloof, coveralled, perhaps sooty, staring straight ahead as he came, perhaps reflecting back on the trench-war violence he had just been a part of … - George Plimpton, Fireworks, 1984

Paul's, tried a few times to make small talk, but he was a Brahmin from another planet: cool, ironic, aloof. Gore Vidal, Nation, 12 June 1995 Jeremy Price (this name and a few others have been changed), a black teacher from St. Walter Lippmann was typical of an earlier generation, the disinterested wise man who remained aloof, chiselling great thoughts on marble columns. Joe Klein, Time, 21 July 2003 Most American journalists who "do" politics cannot resist getting to know the Players. Judged by a panel of disinterested observersĪdjective In truth, he isn't so much aloof as he is courtly in a formal, afternoon-tea sort of way. Observed family gatherings with detached amusement disinterested implies a circumstantial freedom from concern for personal or especially financial advantage that enables one to judge or advise without bias. Incurious about the world aloof suggests a cool reserve arising from a sense of superiority or disdain for inferiors or from shyness.Īloof from his coworkers detached implies an objective attitude achieved through absence of prejudice or selfishness. Unconcerned about the homeless incurious implies an inability to take a normal interest due to dullness of mind or to self-centeredness. Indifferent to the dictates of fashion unconcerned suggests a lack of sensitivity or regard for others' needs or troubles. indifferent implies neutrality of attitude from lack of inclination, preference, or prejudice. Indifferent to the dictates of fashion Where would unconcerned be a reasonable alternative to detached?Īlthough the words unconcerned and detached have much in common, unconcerned suggests a lack of sensitivity or regard for others' needs or troubles.Indifferent, unconcerned, incurious, aloof, detached, disinterested mean not showing or feeling interest. The synonyms indifferent and detached are sometimes interchangeable, but indifferent implies neutrality of attitude from lack of inclination, preference, or prejudice. Incurious about the world When can indifferent be used instead of detached? However, incurious implies an inability to take a normal interest due to dullness of mind or to self-centeredness. In some situations, the words incurious and detached are roughly equivalent. Judged by a panel of disinterested observers When would incurious be a good substitute for detached? While in some cases nearly identical to detached, disinterested implies a circumstantial freedom from concern for personal or especially financial advantage that enables one to judge or advise without bias. While the synonyms aloof and detached are close in meaning, aloof suggests a cool reserve arising from a sense of superiority or disdain for inferiors or from shyness.Īloof from his coworkers When is it sensible to use disinterested instead of detached? Observed family gatherings with detached amusement When might aloof be a better fit than detached? While all these words mean "not showing or feeling interest," detached implies an objective attitude achieved through absence of prejudice or selfishness. Some common synonyms of detached are aloof, disinterested, incurious, indifferent, and unconcerned. Frequently Asked Questions About detached How does the adjective detached contrast with its synonyms?
