Okay, boys and girls, here's today's word: disinterested. And what does it mean? Anyone? Anyone?
[faint voice from somewhere in Massachusetts]
No, no, NO!! it is not a synonym of uninterested! Why would there be two synonymous words with the same root and different negative prefixes? The words have different meanings because the word interest has different meanings.
Are you paying attention?
[faint voice from somewhere in South Carolina]
Uninterested means simply having no interest in the most usual way we use the word. Eg., I am uninterested in advanced mathematics. I am uninterested in fashion. I am uninterested in your hurt feelings when I reprimand you for misusing a word in your own language.
Disinterested means impartial, unprejudiced. We hope that Sonia Sotomayor will be a disinterested justice.
[faint voice from somewhere in west Texas]
[loud noise of book being thrown]
No, you idiot, we don't mean that she will be bored by Supreme Court proceedings. We mean that she should have no financial or personal advantage to be gained by taking one side or another.
Do we all understand now?
[chorus of faint voices]
Fine. Let's practice. Homework for tonight: five original and reasonably literate sentences using uninterested and five using disinterested.
Class dismissed -- oh, and you out there in west Texas -- you're shrouded until next Monday.
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