Indifferent To: Standard Pattern
Indifferent To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Use “indifferent to” before the person, issue, result, or condition that someone does not care much about.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| person does not care much about an issue, result, or condition | indifferent to + noun | Use “to.” |
| two alternatives make no practical difference | indifferent as to / no preference | Use a construction that clearly expresses the choice relation. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you naming the person, issue, result, or condition toward which someone lacks concern?
If yes: Use “indifferent to.”
If no: If you mean equal preference between alternatives, make that choice relation explicit.
Caveat: “Indifferent” can describe lack of concern or lack of preference; context should make the intended sense clear.
Examples
He seemed indifferent to the criticism.
“To” introduces the thing that does not concern him.
The system is indifferent to letter case in this field.
The condition has no effect on the system’s treatment.
She was indifferent to the outcome.
The complement names the result about which she lacks concern.
Further guidance
Construction
Cambridge documents “indifferent to” for lack of interest, concern, or preference regarding a stated object or outcome.
Style Boundary
Indifferent can also be used without an explicit complement when the object of indifference is clear from context.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- INDIFFERENT | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press & Assessment · Cambridge dictionary evidence for indifferent to when expressing lack of interest or concern.