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disinterestedness

disinterestedness

1 8.1
The quality of not taking sides and acting fairly without personal gain
  • noun
  • /ˌdɪsɪnˈtɛrɪd.nəs/
  • Formal
translation icon : imparcialidad
  • For effective decision-making, leaders must demonstrate disinterestedness to avoid conflicts of interest.
  • detachment and disinterestedness

Examples

  • The scientist's disinterestedness in the research results helped her draw objective conclusions.

  • To these and other questions, when directed at his art, the author himself has generally responded with the same disinterestedness, mockery, and occasional disdain that make his characters so distinctive.

    Academic text (1997)
  • For our purposes here, disinterestedness is more important than universality.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Complete disinterestedness may be an ideal, but it is not likely always to be a reality: mixed motives, in international relations as everywhere.

    Academic text (2002)
  • How might this agenda be pursued while remaining vigilant about the disinterestedness of the academic enterprise?

    Academic text (2005)
  • And for good reason: in international affairs, the choice of method can serve to advertise a country's good faith or disinterestedness.

    Academic text (2003)
  • One can witness writers struggling throughout the eighteenth century to explain what constitutes disinterestedness.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Thus it is that one regularly finds the very idea of disinterestedness ridiculed or exposed as a nefarious tool for enforcing the intellectual status quo.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Although most people, including many in the universities, now pay only lip service to disinterested inquiry, and many disparage "the ivory tower" or the "merely academic" way of looking at things, it is the concept of disinterestedness that distinguishes a free, civilized society from a totalitarian, barbaric one.

    Academic text (2000)
  • In her role as a judge, her disinterestedness ensured that all parties received a fair hearing.

Synonyms

fairness
vsdisinterestedness
236 1.9

Treating people equally and without bias

stresses also avoiding selfish motive when making those choices
objectivity
vsdisinterestedness
46 5.3

Making decisions based on facts, not personal feelings

is more about freedom from bias and selfish motive than fact focus
impartiality
vsdisinterestedness
11 5.3

Treating all people or sides fairly without favoring one

is about equal treatment plus avoiding selfish motives
disinterest
vsdisinterestedness
1 5.6

Not taking sides because of personal feelings when deciding

means not favouring any side and avoiding personal gain
dispassion
vsdisinterestedness
  • Formal
1 7.3

A calm state of not feeling strong emotions and judging fairly

emphasizes freedom from bias and selfish motive rather than emotion
fair-mindedness
vsdisinterestedness
1 5.7

Making honest decisions without favoring anyone

adds the idea of not acting from personal gain or self interest
unbiasedness
vsdisinterestedness
  • Specialized
5.8

Being fair and not influenced by personal opinions or unfair ideas

focuses more on absence of selfish motive as well as lack of bias
dispassionateness
vsdisinterestedness
  • Formal
8.5

Not taking sides and not showing strong feelings when judging people or events

places more weight on lack of bias and selfish motive than emotion

Antonyms

bias
  • Specialized
261 5.2

A strong unfair feeling that makes you like or dislike someone and affects decisions

49 4.0

Wanting what is best for you and not caring about others

How Impartial

objectivity
46 5.3
disinterestedness
  • Formal
1 8.1
neutrality
22 4.4
partiality
3 6.7
to bias
6 4.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

disinterestedness = disinterested (semi-transparent) = dis + interest + ed + ness

The noun is regularly formed from the adjective 'disinterested,' but that adjective's impartial sense is somewhat specialized rather than a fully predictable composition from 'interest' and 'dis-'.

Etymology

Disinterestedness comes from the part dis- meaning 'not' and interest meaning 'having a personal interest'. So disinterestedness is 'not having a personal interest', which is why it describes being fair and free from bias.