Dear Sir:
I am disappointed and saddened by your use of "disinterested" when the context clearly calls for "uninterested". It would behoove you to educate yourself on the difference before taking other writers to task. I am seriously considering canceling my subscription.
Sincerely,
Sad and Disappointed
Disinterested and uninterested share a confused and confusing history. Disinterested was originally used to mean not interested, indifferent; uninterested in its earliest use meant impartial. By various developmental twists, disinterested is now used in both senses. Uninterested is used mainly in the sense not interested, indifferent. It is occasionally used to mean not having a personal or property interest.
Many object to the use of disinterested to mean not interested, indifferent. They insist that disinterested can mean only impartial: A disinterested observer is the best judge of behavior. However, both senses are well established in all varieties of English, and the sense intended is almost always clear from the context.
I am disappointed and saddened by your use of "disinterested" when the context clearly calls for "uninterested". It would behoove you to educate yourself on the difference before taking other writers to task. I am seriously considering canceling my subscription.
Sincerely,
Sad and Disappointed
Usage note
Disinterested and uninterested share a confused and confusing history. Disinterested was originally used to mean not interested, indifferent; uninterested in its earliest use meant impartial. By various developmental twists, disinterested is now used in both senses. Uninterested is used mainly in the sense not interested, indifferent. It is occasionally used to mean not having a personal or property interest.
Many object to the use of disinterested to mean not interested, indifferent. They insist that disinterested can mean only impartial: A disinterested observer is the best judge of behavior. However, both senses are well established in all varieties of English, and the sense intended is almost always clear from the context.