INDEX:
1. when you do not care about something because it is not important to you
2. when you do not care because you will be happy whatever happens
3. not caring about something
RELATED WORDS
when you care about someone or something a lot : ↑ IMPORTANT
◆◆◆
1. when you do not care about something because it is not important to you
▷ not care /nɒt ˈkeəʳ/ [verb phrase]
if you don’t care about something, it is not important to you :
▪ ‘What do you think I should do?’ ‘I don’t care. Do what you want.’
not care what/whether/if etc
▪ I like George, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks about him.
▪ I don’t care what my parents say - I am going to the party.
not care about
▪ She doesn’t care about anything except money.
▷ couldn’t care less /ˌkʊdnt keəʳ ˈles/ [verb phrase not in progressive] informal
to not care at all about something :
▪ The politicians are making a big deal out of the issue, but most voters couldn’t care less.
couldn’t care less about
▪ Shelley couldn’t care less about what other people thought of her.
couldn’t care less whether/if
▪ To be perfectly honest with you, I couldn’t care less whether he comes or not.
▷ not give a damn /ˌnɒt gɪv ə ˈdæm/ [verb phrase not in progressive] spoken
to not care at all about something - use this when you are very annoyed with someone or something :
not give a damn about
▪ You’re so selfish. You don’t give a damn about anyone except for yourself.
not give a damn what/who/why etc
▪ I don’t really give a damn what the press says.
▷ be past caring /biː ˌpɑːst ˈke ə rɪŋǁ-ˌpæst-/ [verb phrase]
to no longer care about something that you were worried about for a long time, because you realize that the situation cannot be changed :
▪ I used to worry a lot about my weight when I was young, but now I’m past caring.
▪ The company wrote and apologized for their mistake, but by then Sarah was past caring.
▷ for all I care /fər ˌɔːl ˈaɪ ˌkeəʳ/ [adverb] spoken
say this when you do not care at all what someone does or what happens to them, especially when you are annoyed with them :
▪ I don’t want to hear any more about her. She can drop dead for all I care.
▷ who cares?/so what?/what do I care? /ˌhuː ˈkeəʳz, ˌsəʊ ˈwɒt, ˌwɒt duː ˈaɪ keəʳ/ spoken informal
say this when you do not care about something, because you do not think it is important at all :
▪ So your house isn’t perfectly clean. Who cares?
▪ ‘Phil was really angry when he heard what you had done.’ ‘So what? It’s none of his business.’
▪ ‘He says he’s depressed and really short of money.’ ‘What do I care? It’s his own fault.’
▷ let him/her/them (do something) /ˌlet hɪm (ˈduː something )/ spoken
say this when you do not care if someone does what they have threatened to do :
▪ ‘Brenda says she’s going to quit unless we give her a raise.’ ‘Let her quit then. It’s not as if we can’t find another nanny.’
▪ ‘They’re threatening to disconnect the phone unless we pay the bill.’ ‘Let them!’
▷ tough! /tʌf/ spoken informal
say this when someone tells you about a problem they have and you do not have any sympathy for them, especially because you feel angry with them :
▪ ‘Mom, I don’t want to go to school today.’ ‘Tough! You’re going anyway.’
▪ ‘Can’t we stop? I’m hungry.’ ‘That’s tough. I told you to eat something before we left the house.’
2. when you do not care because you will be happy whatever happens
▷ don’t mind British /don’t care American /dəʊnt ˈmaɪnd, dəʊnt ˈkeəʳ/
to not care because you will be happy with whatever happens or with whatever someone decides :
▪ ‘What would you like to do tonight?’ ‘I don’t mind. You decide.’
▪ ‘Do you want white bread or wheat?’ ‘I don’t care. Either one is fine.’
don’t mind where/what/how etc
▪ Honestly, I don’t mind whether Linda comes with us or not.
▪ They won’t care if we’re a few minutes late.
▷ be not fussy /biː nɒt ˈfʌsi/ [verb phrase] especially British, spoken
to not care what happens or what is decided, especially when someone has asked you what you would prefer :
▪ ‘Do you want to sit in the front seat or the back?’ ‘I’m not fussy.’
be not fussy where/what/which etc
▪ I’m not fussy where I stay, as long as it’s cheap.
be not fussy about
▪ She’s not fussy about what kind of car she drives.
▪ He’s not very fussy about his appearance, is he?
▷ it makes no difference to me/it doesn’t bother me/it’s all the same to me /ɪt meɪks nəʊ ˌdɪf ə rəns tə ˈmiː, ɪt dʌz ə nt ˌbɒðəʳ ˈmiːǁ-ˌbɑː- , ɪts ɔːl ðə ˌseɪm tə ˈmiː/ spoken
say this when you do not mind what happens because it does not affect you or cause you any problems :
▪ You can come on Thursday or Friday -- it makes no difference to me.
▪ We can go out to eat if you want - it’s all the same to me.
▪ Mamet says it makes no difference to him what a movie costs, as long as it’s a good movie.
▷ I’m easy /aɪm ˈiːzi/ spoken informal
say this when someone asks you which one of two things you would prefer, and you want to tell them that you do not mind what is decided :
▪ ‘Do you want to watch the news or the late night film?’ ‘I’m easy.’
▷ it’s no skin off my nose /ɪts nəʊ ˌskɪn ɒf ˈmaɪ nəʊz/ spoken
say this when you do not care what someone else does because it does not affect you in any way :
▪ It’s no skin off our nose if they don’t want to come along.
▪ If my sister wants to throw her money away, then fine. It’s no skin off my nose.
▷ suit yourself /ˌsuːt jɔːʳˈself/ spoken
say this when someone has told you what they are going to do, and even though you do not think it is a good idea, you do not care whether they do it or not :
▪ ‘I think I’ll just stay home tonight.’ ‘Suit yourself.’
▪ ‘Do you mind if I sit here?’ ‘Suit yourself,’ she said, without looking up.
3. not caring about something
▷ unconcerned /ˌʌnkənˈsɜːʳnd/ [adjective not before noun]
not worried or not caring about something, especially when you would normally expect someone to care :
▪ It was strange. They threatened to fire him, but he seemed quite unconcerned.
unconcerned about
▪ She seemed unconcerned about the risk of violence.
▪ They appeared completely unconcerned about the shelling going on around them.
▷ indifferent /ɪnˈdɪf ə rənt/ [adjective not before noun]
not seeming to care about what is happening, especially about other people’s problems or feelings :
▪ Her father was quite friendly, but her mother seemed somewhat cold and indifferent.
indifferent to
▪ His opponents have tried to characterize him as indifferent to the concerns of the working class.
▷ apathetic /ˌæpəˈθetɪk◂/ [adjective]
not interested in anything or not caring about anything, and not making any effort to change or improve things :
▪ The voters have become increasingly apathetic over the last several years.
apathetic about
▪ Parents are completely apathetic about their children’s education and show little interest in it.
apathy /ˈæpəθi/ [uncountable noun]
a feeling of not being interested and not caring about something :
▪ ‘There’s a growing sense of apathy and cynicism about the whole democratic process here,’ one Western diplomat said.
▷ blasé /ˈblɑːzeɪǁblɑːˈzeɪ/ [adjective not usually before noun]
not caring or worrying about something that other people think is important :
▪ She used to be very meticulous about her work but she’s becoming very blasé.
▪ I was surprised by Carol’s blasé attitude.
▪ Despite his air of blasé , there was something childlike and curious about Andy Warhol.
blasé about
▪ People have become blasé about the violence they see on their TV screens.
▷ casual /ˈkæʒuəl/ [adjective]
seeming not to care or pretending not to care about something :
▪ She hurried into the room with no more than a casual glance in our direction.
casual attitude (casual toward/about something)
▪ He had a casual attitude toward studying and grades.
casually [adverb]
▪ ‘I was wondering if maybe you’d like to get together sometime,’ he said casually.
▷ offhand /ˌɒfˈhænd◂ǁˌɔːf-/ [adjective]
not caring or seeming not to care about something or someone :
offhand with
▪ The store manager was rather offhand with us at first.
▪ She said you were a bit offhand with her this afternoon.
offhand reply/manner/ attitude etc
▪ I didn’t like his offhand manner.
▷ nonchalant /ˈnɒnʃələntǁˌnɑːnʃəˈlɑːnt/ [adjective]
seeming not to care about something, especially when you really do care but are trying to pretend that you do not :
▪ a nonchalant attitude
▪ ‘I’m sorry I’m so late. Have you been waiting long?’ he asked. She gave a nonchalant shrug.
try to appear/look nonchalant
▪ When Peter came in, she glanced up, trying to appear nonchalant.
nonchalantly [adverb]
▪ ‘Oh, come on, Dick - you’re just imagining things,’ she said nonchalantly.
nonchalance [uncountable noun]
▪ I was surprised by her nonchalance. We hadn’t seen each other in over fifteen years, yet she acted like it was no big deal.