Why ‘Could Care Less’ Isn’t Actually Wrong

The phrases “could care less” and “couldn’t care less” are both widely used to express a deep lack of concern with the topic at hand, despite the negation indicating these terms are opposites. Taken at face value, it would seem the former example doesn’t make nearly as much sense as the latter. After all, if you could care less about something, that suggests you care at least a little bit about whatever the topic may be, and there’s room for your level of care to be reduced. But if you couldn’t care less, then your interest is clearly at rock bottom. So does that make “couldn’t care less” the more accurate choice? Well, not exactly, despite what some logicians may argue.

Merriam-Webster defines both of the aforementioned phrases as “used to indicate that one is not at all concerned about or interested in something.” The linguistic resource acknowledges that the negative version is older but adds that it’s OK to use them synonymously, thanks to the prevalence of each in the common lexicon. In a blog post, the dictionary said, “Logic and grammar are often separate considerations,” especially concerning these two phrases that inspire heated opinions. To better understand this debate, let’s take a quick look at the origins of both phrases.

The uncontracted negative form — “could not care less” — shows up in texts in the 19th century, followed by the contracted form in the 20th century. There’s speculation it originated in the U.K., with printed versions found in the 1920s and 1930s, and was then likely brought to the U.S. by American soldiers after World War II. 

“Could care less,” meanwhile, also has origins dating back to the mid-19th century. However, at the time, it was always used in conjunction with a negative particle before it. One of the earliest citations is in the July 18, 1840, edition of The Morning Post from London: “It is impossible that he could care less.” 

Over time, the negative particle was eventually dropped in common parlance for reasons that are unclear. By the 1950s, “could care less” was being used on its own, without any other negation in the sentence.

It might be helpful to think of “could care less” as an idiom — the individual meanings of each word don’t line up with the intended meaning of the phrase. Based on decades of use, it has come to mean the exact same thing as “couldn’t care less,” whether you agree with the logic or not. 

That said, if you’re hoping to express yourself in a less controversial way, stick to “couldn’t care less,” given it has a more logically sound structure. But “could care less” is acceptable as well.