synonyms

There are some words that people use as synonyms when they really aren’t. Yep, this is me calling you out again, language lazy friends. Or perhaps that’s too strong. Maybe it’s not laziness so much as ignorance. Grammar naiveté. So often these are subtleties never taught, after all. So how are you to pick them up on your own? That’s what I’m here for, folks.

“Disinterested” and “uninterested” are another example of words that are treated as synonyms but actually have different meanings.

To be “disinterested” means to be impartial. A disinterested person wouldn’t have a stake in the outcome. To be “uninterested” means that you simply don’t care. This is a subtle difference, but one worth noting.

For example, a disinterested referee would call the game fairly. An uninterested referee might not be paying much attention.

Have you been using these words correctly?