To wish people would not say disinterested when they mean uninterested. It is confusing!

[pennyred]

Disinterested means "impartial" or "not taking sides." (In other words, not having a personal interest at stake.)

Uninterested means "not interested." (In other words, not showing any interest.)

If we merge the two, then bits of Dickens will stop making sense! I am unusually irked by this.

[Theboodythatrocked]

I suggest and a sleep!

[pennyred]

You may have a point, theboody, I am a touch overwraught

[Tobyjugg]

With me it's "implied" and "inferred".

[moonrocket]

Or overwrought perhaps?



I get you!

[MardyBra]

I take my cue from the overall posting. If the poster uses "could of", "hun", "me + someone" as the subject of a verb, or misuses "myself", I assume that they don't know the difference.

[RattieBagTheOldHag]

Well, that could of been myself that did that. Coz I'm like totally disinterested in how to spell stuff.

[TooHasty]

Well the Cambridge dictionary agrees with you, but the Oxford dictionary and Merriam Webster don't.

[DupontetDupond]

Being unusually irked by poor English usage / grammar is a cross some have to bear.

Have this to cheer you up

[AWholeLottaNosy]

Bugs me too! That video was hillarious...

[DioneTheDiabolist]

YADNBU OP.

[Bulbasaur]

I hate it when people on here use "pedant" or "pedantic" when they really mean they're just anal retentive.

It might interest you to know that "disinterested" has two meanings:

1. not influenced by considerations of personal advantage.
   

"a banker is under an obligation to give disinterested advice"

2.having or feeling no interest in something.
"her father was so disinterested in her progress that he only visited the school once"

So technically... they're not using the word incorrectly as they can be interchangeable. :)

[Andrewofgg]

The second meaning is a recent usage and duplicates uninterested.

OP you are right but you are pissing into the wind.

[fascicle]

pennyred Do you also have strong feelings about the usage of 'agnostic' and 'atheist'?

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

It's terrible people saying they are the same.

The OED should be ashamed

[pennyred]

Ha, yes moon and Rattie I'm not so fussy about spelling, clearly

Brilliant, Dupont.

I realise that meanings change over time, but I think in this case it's a shame as the distinction worked quite neatly.

fascicle I have never noticed a problem with those words, but that doesn't mean I couldn't have strong feelings about them if pressed

[TheWomanTheyCallJayne]

Antisocial does not mean you don't like going to parties!

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

Agree - and 'ambivalent' doesn't mean you don't care much either way, either!

[SunnyBaudelaire]

FWI it is something that bothers me too, along with discreet and discrete.

[RattieBagTheOldHag]

My DH gets mad whenever he hears someone use the word decimated incorrectly. He says it means a loss of ten percent because, apparently, that is what is used to mean. I tell him he needs to get with the times and if he wants to speak 'ye olde worlde' could he at least let me know what centuries lingo I should use.

He is a linguist to be fair and I repeatedly got a D in my O'Level English.

[SunnyBaudelaire]

no it means reduced by 9/10ths rattie, I think you should pull him up on this one.

[fascicle]

How interesting. It appears that from a historical point of view, Rattie's husband is right:

www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/decimate

The meaning/usage of that word has certainly shifted significantly over time.

[MaidOfStars]

TheWoman YY, mixing up 'antisocial' and 'unsociable' winds me up. My husband doesn't like parties (unsociable), he doesn't go to them and piss on the Christmas tree (antisocial).

[SunnyBaudelaire]

well well i stand corrected, fair play to Mr Rattie

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

OP, I agree.

My other bugbears are discrete and discreet, and people not being able to spell misogynist. One day I will flip and start a thread.

[ChippingInLovesChristmasLights]

Well, if you do Countess, could you do it in Pedants Corner where this whinging belongs . Thanks ever so!