Are both sentences OK?

Someone didn't put in enough effort while doing their job.

If I say,
He looked indifferent.
He was in an indifferent appearance.

Question

Are both sentences OK?

Someone didn't put in enough effort while doing  their job.

If I say,
He looked indifferent.
He was in an indifferent appearance.

Answer

"He looked indifferent" is grammatically correct. The second sentence could be rewritten as "He had an indifferent appearance" to make it grammatically correct.

But note that both sentences describe are describing the subject's appearance. The word "indifferent" describes someone's state of mind - an indifferent person is someone who doesn't care.

Saying "He looked indifferent" has a slightly different connotation to "He was indifferent". In the first sentence, the subject is not necessarily indifferent - he might care deeply about his job even though he appears to be indifferent.

Non perdere l'opportunità di imparare una lingua comodamente da casa tua. Esplora la nostra selezione di insegnanti di lingue esperti e iscriviti subito alla tua prima lezione!