apathy

/ˈæpəθi/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈæpəθi/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈa-pə-thē/ (ame, mw)

apathy — noun

1. a state of not caring about anything and not wanting to make any effort to chang

1.名詞C1
釋義

a state of not caring about anything and not wanting to make any effort to change a situation, even when it really matters.

例句

Voter apathy among young people meant only one in three turned out for the election.

collocation: voter apathy among [group]

The mayor was shocked by public apathy towards the new recycling program.

collocation: public apathy towards [issue]

同義詞
  • indifference

    more neutral; simply not caring, without the sense of failing to act

  • lethargy

    stresses physical tiredness as well as a lack of motivation

  • disengagement

    more formal; common in political or workplace contexts

反義詞
  • enthusiasm

    active positive feeling and energy for something

  • concern

    caring enough to worry about an issue

文法句型

apathy towards/toward + noun

apathy about + noun

用法筆記

Almost always uncountable and almost always negative — speakers use it to criticise someone for not caring when they should. Frequently paired with 'voter', 'public', 'political', or followed by 'towards/toward' or 'about'.

常見錯誤

❌He has many apathies about his job.
✅He shows a lot of apathy about his job.
💡apathy is uncountable; don't pluralise it or use 'a/an' with it.
❌The students felt apathy of the new rules.
✅The students felt apathy towards the new rules.
💡use 'towards/toward' or 'about', not 'of', to introduce the topic.