Word for not caring about something

A pessimist is someone who always considers negative outcomes of a situation, whereas an optimist always considers the positive outcomes. Is there a word for someone who, in any given situation, doesn’t care about the outcome at all?

RegDwigнt's user avatar

RegDwigнt

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asked Sep 8, 2013 at 8:43

SoWhat's user avatar

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I can’t think of a noun, but you can say «that person is apathetic».

Apathetic at Oxford Dictionaries

adjective showing or feeling no interest, enthusiasm, or concern

answered Sep 8, 2013 at 8:58

Matt E. Эллен's user avatar

Matt E. ЭлленMatt E. Эллен

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Indifferent
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=indifferent

late 14c., «unbiased,» from Old French indifferent «impartial» or
directly from Latin indifferentem (nominative indifferens) «not
differing, not particular, of not consequence, neither good nor evil
[…] Extended sense of
«apathetic» first recorded early 15c.; that of «neither good nor bad»
1530s, on notion of «neither more nor less advantageous

answered Sep 8, 2013 at 10:17

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This might not be quite what you are looking for, but as an extreme case:

Nihilist.

This stems from following nihilism (adapted from the OED):

  1. Total rejection of prevailing religious beliefs, moral principles, laws, etc., often from a sense of despair and the belief that life is devoid of meaning.

  2. The belief or theory that the world has no real existence; the rejection of all notions of reality.

A nihilist would not care about an outcome because it is entirely meaningless.

The word has some negative connotations from meaning 1 above, which may make it unsuitable for your particular purpose.

answered Sep 8, 2013 at 10:39

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Insouciant

free from concern, worry or anxiety

Unconcerned, undisturbed; carefree and nonchalant

Origin:
1820–30; < French, equivalent to in- in-3 + souciant present participle of soucier to worry < Vulgar Latin *sollicītāre, for Latin sollicitāre to disturb; see solicitous

as suggested in the definitions the other words I would prefer to use are:

nonchalant

unconcerned

All of these words imply a carefree attitude in a good way and lack the negative connotations of having no feeling at all.

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answered Sep 8, 2013 at 8:58

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A fatalist. This does not just mean a person who thinks all things are fated; it has a derived meaning: a person with an attitude of indifference to outcome because of such a belief. An optimist hopes for the best; a pessimist fears the worst; a fatalist is resigned to what will be (regardless of hopes and fears). http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatalism

answered Sep 8, 2013 at 13:58

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In modern Internet parlance, such a person might be referred to as a «honey badger»:

he honestly doesn't care.

This use of the term is based on this popular youtube video.

(Hat tip to user @balpha for bringing this oversight to my attention.)

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answered Sep 8, 2013 at 17:13

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answered Sep 8, 2013 at 13:29

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That would be an apathist I think.

answered Sep 8, 2013 at 15:33

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Carefree- having no worries

On the day of the result, Ajay, being optimistic, was very sure of securing all the A grades. But Arun’s pessimistic mind was busy looking for excuses to tell his parents why he flunked this time. And Aakash remained as carefree as ever and kept playing video games throughout the day.

answered Sep 8, 2013 at 13:18

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How about «this person is a stoic» ?

According to Merriam Webster:

Definition of STOIC … 2
: one apparently or professedly indifferent to pleasure or pain

answered Sep 8, 2013 at 10:45

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answered Sep 8, 2013 at 10:49

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Technically one could say a realist. However this probably isn’t applicable to your situation.

answered Sep 9, 2013 at 8:14

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A person who cares not at all about anything «in any given situation», must surely be…a cadaver.

More seriously, there are also mugwumps, sloths, and bumps-on-a-log, all of which have some of the qualities you describe.

answered Sep 9, 2013 at 8:49

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(1)Selfish
A man who doesn’t care about anything must clearly be the most self absorbed person on the earth. And if he is not self absorbed then refer to answer #2
(2)Dead

answered Jun 23, 2015 at 0:34

Dirk Moby's user avatar

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Insouciant is a word in both the French and English language for a person who does not care about anything. In French it can be both an adjective & a noun. I don’t see why one could not use it as a noun in English too. Such a person would be an insouciant. Such an noun is needed.

answered Aug 7, 2019 at 16:21

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If you’re looking for one who not only doesn’t care about anything, but is in a general surly mood about things…there’s «Misanthrope», and the adjective form, «Misanthropic».

answered Sep 9, 2013 at 17:23

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It’s not nice to meet someone who doesn’t care about others’ feelings or has no regard for others. To describe these people, you might find it difficult to pick a word out of thin air. This article will show you the best descriptive words to reference these people.

What Do You Call Someone Who Doesn’t Care About Others’ Feelings?

There are plenty of good words to describe someone who doesn’t care about others’ feelings. They include:

  • Disregard
  • Selfish
  • Thoughtless
  • Apathetic
  • Oblivious
  • Uncaring
  • Sociopath
  • Antisocial

What Do You Call Someone Who Doesn't Care About Others' Feelings?

The preferred word to describe someone who doesn’t care about others’ feelings is “disregard.” We use it to show that someone has no care or respect for anything else that other people might feel. Even when presented with others’ feelings, they’ll often ignore them.

Disregard

“Disregard” is something that people demonstrate when they don’t want anything to do with other people’s feelings. It’s more common than you think, and it’s especially prevalent in people who think their own problems far outweigh the problems of others.

The definition of “disregard,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “the fact of showing no care or respect for something.”

We can use “disregard” whenever we want to talk about someone not caring or respecting something else. While it doesn’t have to strictly refer to people, it works really well when we’re talking about people who care very little (if at all) about the feelings of others.

“Disregard” can work in the following ways:

  • He has a blatant disregard for anyone else’s feelings, and I can’t stand being around him.
  • The disregard he demonstrates shows that he couldn’t care less what any of us think.

Selfish

“Selfish” is a common word we use to describe many antisocial issues in people. When talking about someone who only cares about themselves and not about other people, it’s common to use.

The definition of “selfish,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “caring only about what you want or need without any thought for the needs or wishes of other people.”

Often, selfish people simply don’t care about the feelings of others because they’re too busy worrying about their own feelings. They don’t make for very good friends, which is evident if you know any truly selfish people in your life.

You might see selfish people in the following:

  • You’re too selfish to ever be taken seriously. You should think about other people’s feelings for once.
  • They’re both selfish and don’t care what anyone else thinks about them.

Thoughtless

If someone is thoughtless, it usually means that they don’t give a second thought to people’s feelings. Instead, they will act based on how they think they should act, which can result in doing things that might upset others.

The definition of “thoughtless,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “not considering how your actions or words may upset someone.”

Sometimes, thoughtless people cause issues for others entirely by accident. They may not realize how harmful their behavior can be, but when they do, it’s too late for them to change anything about what they’ve done.

Thoughtless people might appear in the following ways:

  • Stop being so thoughtless and tell me how you really feel. I’m too exhausted to argue!
  • You’ve hurt my feelings one too many times, you thoughtless oaf!

Apathetic

Someone who is apathetic shows no emotion or interest when it comes to other people’s feelings. They’ll often choose to avoid taking action to help others, and they’d rather just spend their time not caring about anything at all.

The definition of “apathetic,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “showing no interest or energy and unwilling to take action, especially over something important.”

Apathy is the opposite of empathy, which we use to describe someone who is so in touch with other people’s feelings that they’ll feel the same emotions.

Apathetic people can be seen as follows:

  • She’s the most apathetic person I’ve ever met, and she’s never shown an ounce of care toward anyone.
  • Your apathy is a tragedy, and it makes all the people closest to you turn away.

Oblivious

While “oblivious” isn’t the best word to describe people who don’t care about others’ feelings, it still works well to talk about them in specific cases. Oblivious people often don’t realize when they’ve done or said something to upset somebody they know.

The definition of “oblivious,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “not conscious of something, especially what is happening around you.”

For oblivious people, it’s hard to understand why their actions might hurt others’ feelings. They will simply do things without a second thought (much like being “thoughtless”).

Oblivious is a great word that we can work into sentences in the following ways:

  • You’re so oblivious that you don’t even notice when your own daughter needs a shoulder to cry on!
  • Stop being so oblivious and take him! He needs all the help he can get from his mother right now!

Uncaring

“Uncaring” works when we want to talk about someone who doesn’t worry themselves with the troubles of others. They’ll always think about themselves first and rarely do anything to help out those in need.

The definition of “uncaring,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “not worrying about other people’s troubles or doing anything to help them.”

Being “uncaring” is a very undesirable trait, and it’s usually quite easy to spot in certain people.

“Uncaring” works as follows:

  • He’s by far the most uncaring person I’ve ever met, without a single care in the world for how other people feel.
  • You’re too uncaring for us, and we don’t want anything more to do with you until you can learn what empathy is.

Sociopath

A sociopath, or someone who exhibits sociopathic tendencies, is someone who is unable to behave in a way that’s expected in society. It works to explain someone who doesn’t care for others’ feelings, even though it’s a more broad term than that.

The definition of “sociopath,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “a person who is completely unable or unwilling to behave in a way that is acceptable to society.”

It’s possible to diagnose sociopaths clinically, which we can do for people of all ages if we need an explanation as to why they might struggle with certain things in life.

However, sociopathic behavior comes in many forms. One such form is that of not caring for the feelings of others, which is why we included it here.

Sociopathic behavior can present itself as follows:

  • Both of these guys are sociopaths, and we’ve had to remove them from society to keep everyone else safe.
  • Stop being a sociopathic freak and start helping us to understand why you don’t care!

Antisocial

Antisocial behavior is a lighter form of sociopathic behavior. We can apply it to any behavior that is deliberately harmful to others or to society. It also works well when we want to talk about someone who doesn’t care about the feelings of others.

The definition of “antisocial,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “often avoiding spending time with other people.”

Antisocial people will usually make it clear that they’re not interested in getting to know other people. They’ll also tell others that their feelings are irrelevant in some way, so that they know they can’t confide in antisocial people.

“Antisocial” can work in the following ways:

  • We’re both antisocial when it comes to parties, so don’t bother talking to us about how your day went.
  • And the most antisocial person I’ve ever met can be awarded to you, that’s for sure!

Why Do Some People Not Care About Others’ Feelings?

There are many reasons why some people do not care about others’ feelings.

People might not care about others’ feelings if they have too much to think about in their own life. If their problems are more important to them than the feelings of others, then that’s up to them. Some people just don’t like other people, which could be a reason for it.

While not caring about others’ feelings is generally a bad personality trait, it could simply come down to someone experiencing problems in their own lives that outweigh those of the other people.

Of course, there are always exceptions to these rules. Some people just don’t like being around or conversing with others and will do anything to make sure that other people are aware of this.

Is It Bad To Not Care About Others’ Feelings?

Generally, not caring about the feelings of others is a negative personality trait, but it doesn’t always have to be.

It is not inherently bad to not care about others’ feelings. It is not your job to make sure everyone else feels happy all the time, but it is your job to make sure you don’t do anything that’s obviously going to upset someone based on what you know about them.

While you don’t have any obligations to look after the feelings of others, it still helps to be as mindful of them as possible. If you know that your actions could harm someone else’s feelings, it’s best to try and avoid doing them.

You may also like: 10 Words For Someone Who Pretends To Care (Fake Kindness)

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Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.

I’ve looked at this question but it doesn’t quite match the term I’m seeking.

I once heard a speaker use a term to describe the syndrome accompanied with drug dependencies. He said the word and then asked if anyone knew what it meant. His personal interpretation of the meaning of the word was something like, “…the feeling that the world could fall apart around me and I wouldn’t care so long as I have my fix.” He went on to give other examples such as, “…I don’t care how the bills get paid, I need my (insert drug of choice).”

I’m trying to find what the word is for this. Apathetic and indifferent are not it.(though apathetic is close)

It’s not just emotional, or physical, or psychological… it’s all of these. Basically, almost like a catatonic state of being. Also, and I don’t know if this helps anyone other than me, if you can imagine Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh saying, “In the long run, we all die. What would be the point of living? Why do anything when it all ends the same way?”

The way this term could be used in a sentence would be,

It’s pointless talking to Mark right now, he’s fallen victim to/to his ______

Update: Okay, I found this from submissivesuccubus.blogspot.com (don’t ask), “When the three of us are together, I feel as if the world could fall apart around me and I wouldn’t care at all.”

Now this example has a positive connotation to it. I’m looking for the negative.

Last Update:
Okay, one more example before I give into nihilism. If I’m sitting at my house, normal night, watching TV, and then a tow truck pulls up and begins to tow my car. I notice, but don’t care or do anything about it. Then the phone rings, I don’t answer because I don’t care. The power goes out, I don’t do anything. I sit in the dark now staring at the wall. An earthquake occurs, I don’t move. The house falls apart around me. I still sit in the rubble. I don’t care. Bulldozers plow away the debris around me. Winter sets in. WWIII, zombie apocalypse, a black hole swallows the Earth and I don’t move, don’t care.
I’ve lost something. Something that makes me pay the power bills, something that makes me get up and hide from zombies… I am/ have become/ have __________ If you tell me that nihilism works for this, than I will concede to it (though it’s not the word I was looking for) You all are AWESOME-sauce in my book and I appreciate the efforts.

Source: Dictionary.com

Answer

Since you’re asking in a psychological context, are you looking for one of:

Detachment (detached)

Dissociation (dissociated)

Depersonalization (depersonalized)

Emotional numbness (numb)


Based on the updated question, perhaps you’re looking for:

Nihilism (nihilistic): Nihilism is often discussed in terms of extreme skepticism and relativism; for most of the 20th century it has been associated with the belief that life is meaningless. Existential nihilism begins with the notion that the world is without meaning or purpose. Given this circumstance, existence itself–all action, suffering, and feeling–is ultimately senseless and empty.

From the Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on Nihilism, though there are plenty of other choices (e.g. Wikipedia).

Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : MegaMark , Answer Author : Dan Bron

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not care (a) tuppence

To not care in the slightest (about something or someone). Primarily heard in UK, Australia. I don’t care a tuppence how you get it done, just make sure the deed to that estate is in my possession within a fortnight! I know that Jeremy Lawson has a crush on me, but to be honest I couldn’t care tuppence for him.

See also: care, not, tuppence

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

not care/give ˈtuppence for/about somebody/something

(old-fashioned, British English, informal) think somebody/something is not important; not care about somebody/something: She loves him, but he doesn’t care tuppence for her.The police don’t give tuppence for our rights.

Tuppence is an old word meaning ‘two pence’.

See also: care, for, give, not, somebody, something, tuppence

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

See also:

  • not care (a) tuppence
  • not care twopence
  • don’t give/care a rap for
  • not care a rap (for someone or something)
  • care a jackstraw
  • see what I care
  • like I care
  • not care a hang
  • not care a hang (about something)
  • care a button

  • #1

Hi, :)

Idioms «Not to give a hoot about smth.» and «Not to care a damn/ curse about smth.» mean not to care about something at all.

Which of them do you prefer to use?
Or do you use other idioms with the same sense?

Many thanks for all your answers!

  • #2

Hi Olenek,

I think my grandmother might have said she didn’t give a hoot about something. I’ve never heard the other two expressions the way they’re written.

I’ve heard people say they don’t give a damn about something. In your example you wrote «curse» and yes, there are several curse words that people don’t give about things: a s***, a f***, a rat’s a**, a toss (British).

Not giving a damn is quite dismissive and already a little bit rude (with ruder options available), so when you aren’t looking to be offensive you can say you couldn’t care less about something.

You will post your project when you’re done with it, won’t you?

  • #3

Hi Olenek,

You will post your project when you’re done with it, won’t you?

Hi Mr Ben,

I am obliged for your replies to my different questions!
I’ll send you email with great pleasure (I’m writing my project in Russian).

Best regards,
Olya

  • #4

I couldn’t care less.

One of my pet peeves is people who say, instead, «I could care less» to mean the opposite of what they’re saying. This happens very often.

I don’t give a flying f*ck.

  • #5

Sometimes whatever is used to mean you don’t care.

I don’t use the examples you gave.
You’ll hear I could care less all the time (myself included :oops:) but everyone understands it as you couldn’t.
I also say I could give/I don’t give a flying f*ck.

Not a teacher.
:)

  • #6

I agree with «Whatever» ^^ I use that a lot. Or Whateva.

Here’s a quarter, call someone who cares.

Do I look like I care?

Talk to the hand! (best done while sticking the palm of your hand into their face; could get you beat up)

Who cares.

Don’t care.

Also, when you don’t care about something you just say «meh» :-D

You can also just say «yeah, yeah» with a tone of total disinterest. :-D

  • #9

Love it.

But it reminds me of something and I can’t remember what. Now it’s bothering me. :-?

  • #10

Love it.

But it reminds me of something and I can’t remember what. Now it’s bothering me. :-?

A funny version of Ed the Sock, CityTV I think?

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