unconcern

noun

un·​con·​cern ˌən-kən-ˈsərn How to pronounce unconcern (audio)
1
: lack of care or interest : indifference
his unconcern for personal gain
2
: freedom from excessive concern or anxiety

Examples of unconcern in a Sentence

He has shown a surprising unconcern for his own safety. wore an expression of general unconcern throughout the trial
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But the other pole, blithe unconcern, carries its own dangers. Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 16 June 2025 Not ten feet away, a man moved his bowels beside a street near Union Square, while pedestrians passed him with the unconcern of people already elsewhere, émigrés to a pixelated country beyond the reach of others’ desperation. Andrew Kay, Harpers Magazine, 28 May 2025 Every expression of concern is in fact an expression of unconcern about something else; each of them merits a rebuke and you have been appointed (by yourself, but nevermind) to deliver it. Rebecca Solnit january 31, Literary Hub, 31 Jan. 2024 Most of Ukraine’s ravaged cultural sites are like the shelled Reims Cathedral: perhaps not directly targeted, but destroyed with ruthless unconcern. Jason Farago, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2022 Marked by the artist’s apparent unconcern with conventional modeling and draftsmanship and by the velvety smoothness of his brushwork, the paintings exude an aura of quietude and utter perfection unrivaled in the work of his peers. Mary Tompkins Lewis, WSJ, 26 Nov. 2022 The word-play conveys somehow a sense of confidence and unconcern. George Calhoun, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2021 The news that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday visited a San Francisco hair salon, against standing city ordinances, was the latest exhibition of privileged unconcern. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2020 There is a selfishness and unconcern for the elderly in the refusal of the young to take this pandemic seriously. Bonnie Kristian, TheWeek, 18 Mar. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1684, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unconcern was in 1684

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unconcern.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unconcern. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

unconcern

noun
un·​con·​cern ˌən-kən-ˈsərn How to pronounce unconcern (audio)
: lack of care or interest : indifference
unconcern for world problems

More from Merriam-Webster on unconcern

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