Uninterests

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. To cause a lack of attention or concern; to diminish someone's enthusiasm or curiosity; to fail to engage interest or excitement
2. The act of making someone indifferent or apathetic; to lessen the appeal or allure of something; to reduce engagement or involvement
3. Producing disinterest or boredom; to weaken the attraction or relevance perceived; to cause a person to lose focus or passion for a subject or activity

Etymology: "Uninterests" is the plural of "uninterest," a noun formed from the prefix "un-" attached to "interest." The base word goes back to Latin "interesse," meaning "to be between, to make a difference, to concern," built from "inter" ("between") and "esse" ("to be"). English took "interest" over several centuries, first in the sense of concern or stake in something, and only later in the modern sense of curiosity or attention. The prefix "un-" is Old English in origin and has been productive for centuries, attaching to nouns, adjectives and verbs to express negation or reversal. "Uninterest" therefore simply reverses the older noun, so that where "interest" describes a stake or engagement, "uninterest" describes its absence: a lack of concern or enthusiasm.

Synonyms: disinterests, boredoms, indifferences

Antonyms: interests, enthusiasms, passions, excitements