without a desire

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "without a desire" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to express a lack of longing or wish for something, often in a philosophical or reflective context. Example: "He approached the situation without a desire for recognition, focusing solely on the task at hand."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

11 human-written examples

'I was born without a desire for material things,' he says in his downtown San Francisco office, where incense burns and ethnic prints and hand-painted murals adorn the walls.

The Guardian

Although the evangelical missionary push into Africa is not made entirely without a desire to proselytize, Mr. Kristof rightly points out that, at least in the case of Iris Ministries, an American mission in Africa, blind zealotry and ideology have been replaced by pragmatism and a desire to help.

The New York Times

This could be of interest for applied mathematicians, who could be more involved in the specific PDEs that have this gradient flow form, without a desire for full generality; for the same audience, a section has been added about numerical methods inspired from the so-called JKO (Jordan Kinderlehrerer Otto) scheme, and one on a list of equations which fall into these framework.

Bulletin of Mathematical Sciences

Vedāntin and Nyāya theists generalize from the everyday to assume that, no, statements and sentences require a speaker, a composer, who, in the case of S's knowledge passing to H, must be an āpta expert, i.e., someone who knows the truth and wants to tell it without a desire to deceive.

SEP

A family emergency, difficult breakup or even the drastic acts of a new president can leave a person without a desire to eat.

Huffington Post

But a church without the poor, and a church without a desire for a just social world for all, is not the church.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

49 human-written examples

The technique is simple: first, we construct a gadget without a desired property and then embed it into a larger game which encodes a NP-hard problem in order to prove the complexity of the desired property in a game.

Theoretical Computer Science

It was impossible to watch this scene of delirium, which had been conjured up by a mixture of clownishness, ambition, and sullen malice, without feeling a desire for action.

The New Yorker

For example, in a study of 200 terminally ill inpatients with cancer, the prevalence of depressive syndromes was 59% among patients with a serious and pervasive desire to die but only 8% among patients without such a desire.

British Medical Journal

Or speak without irony of "a desire to automate the future, so it runs as true as the democratic freedom machine of the American Constitution"?

The New York Times - Books

But if relations between the US and Russia are to improve, it will not happen without Russia showing a desire to engage with Obama and a willingness to give up its unrealistic great power ambitions.

The Guardian - Opinion

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "without a desire", ensure the context clearly indicates what the subject lacks desire for. This avoids ambiguity and strengthens the impact of your statement.

Common error

Avoid using "without a desire" when the intended meaning is closer to apathy or indifference. Apathy suggests a broader lack of interest, whereas "without a desire" specifically targets the absence of longing for something particular.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "without a desire" functions as a prepositional phrase that modifies a verb or noun, indicating a lack of longing or wish. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is grammatically correct and usable in written English. Examples from Ludwig show it describing a state of being or approaching a situation.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

40%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "without a desire" is a grammatically sound phrase used to convey the absence of longing or wish. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and usability. While not extremely common, it appears across various contexts, including news, scientific publications, and general writing. The phrase is particularly useful for expressing a lack of motivation or expectation. When using "without a desire", ensure the context clearly defines the object of that desire to avoid ambiguity. Consider alternatives like "lacking any desire" or "devoid of desire" for subtle differences in emphasis.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

lacking any desire

Emphasizes the absence of desire more directly.

devoid of desire

Highlights a complete emptiness or lack of desire.

without any longing

Specifically targets the absence of longing.

free from desire

Suggests a state of liberation from desire.

unmotivated

Focuses on the absence of motivation, which can stem from a lack of desire.

disinclined

Indicates a lack of inclination or willingness, related to desire.

apathetic

Implies a general lack of interest or concern, extending beyond just desire.

indifferent

Suggests a neutral stance, lacking any strong feelings or desires.

without ambition

Focuses specifically on the absence of ambition, a type of desire for achievement.

unenthusiastic

Points to a lack of enthusiasm, which often stems from a lack of desire.

FAQs

How can I use "without a desire" in a sentence?

You can use "without a desire" to describe a state of lacking longing or wish for something. For example, "He approached the task "without a desire" for recognition."

What phrases are similar to "without a desire"?

Alternatives include "lacking any desire", "devoid of desire", or "free from desire", each carrying a slightly different nuance.

Is it more appropriate to say "without desire" or "without a desire"?

Both are grammatically acceptable, but "without a desire" is often preferred for emphasizing the absence of a specific, identifiable longing. "Without desire" can be used more generally.

How does "without a desire" differ from "apathetic"?

"Without a desire" focuses on the absence of wanting something specific, while "apathetic" describes a general lack of interest or emotion. A person might be "without a desire" for fame but not necessarily apathetic about everything else.