unsocial

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ʌnˈsoʊʃəl/ UK /ʌnˈsəʊʃəl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
avoiding the company of others; not sociable

He kept unsocial hours, working through the night.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · avoiding the company of... unsociableantisocialreclusive withdrawn aloof reserved

Opposites

social sociable gregarious outgoing

Word family

Derived forms unsociallyunsociality

Related forms social society unsociable

Etymology

From un- ('not') + social, from Latin socialis ('of companionship'), from socius ('companion, ally').

un- Old English socius Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# unsocial

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ʌnˈsoʊʃəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ʌnˈsəʊʃəl/

## Meanings
1. avoiding the company of others; not sociable

## Examples
- He kept unsocial hours, working through the night.

## Synonyms
- unsociable
- antisocial
- reclusive
- withdrawn
- aloof
- reserved

## Antonyms
- social
- sociable
- gregarious
- outgoing

## Derived Forms
- unsocially
- unsociality

## Related Forms
- social
- society
- unsociable

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: un-
- Root: socius

## Etymology
From un- ('not') + social, from Latin socialis ('of companionship'), from socius ('companion, ally').

## AI Etymology
Unsocial comes from un- ('not') + social, from Latin socialis ('of companionship'), from socius ('companion, ally'). In current use it is an adjective meaning "avoiding the company of others; not sociable". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The prefix un- is negative or privative, marking the absence, denial, or opposite of the base idea. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The historical chain includes Old English un- and Latin socius. Related English forms include social, society, and unsociable. Derived forms include unsocially and unsociality. As a result, the modern word is best read as a negative, privative, or reversative formation built on a historically older base.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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