antisocial

adjective

an·​ti·​so·​cial ˌan-tē-ˈsō-shəl  ˌan-ˌtī- 

1

: averse to the society of others : unsociable

2

: hostile or harmful to organized society

especially : being or marked by behavior deviating sharply from the social norm

3

psychology : of, relating to, or characteristic of antisocial personality disorder

Although community placement before discharge reduces subsequent antisocial behavior, most have apparently required outpatient mental health services indefinitely …

—Nathaniel S. Lehrman

antisocially

ˌan-tē-ˈsō-shə-lē

ˌan-ˌtī- 

adverb

Synonyms

• aloof
• asocial
• buttoned-up
• cold
• cold-eyed
• cool
• detached
• distant
• dry
• frosty
• offish
• remote
• standoff
• standoffish
• unbending
• unclubbable
• unsociable

Examples of antisocial in a Sentence

She's not being antisocial; she's just shy at parties.

she's not antisocial, just extremely shy

Recent Examples on the Web

Years later, Lionel is haunted by guilt over his failure to intervene in Jeff’s antisocial behavior. —Judy Berman, TIME, 17 Sep. 2024

Most patients with memory loss who show aggression or agitation do not have a history of violence or other antisocial behaviors. —Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 2 Sep. 2024

In that sense, noise-cancelling headphones are a fundamentally antisocial technology. —Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2024

Some users of chatbots like Character AI and Replika report antisocial tensions resulting from their chat habits. —Will Knight, WIRED, 8 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1759, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing antisocial

• antisocial personality disorder

Kids Definition

antisocial

adjective

an·​ti·​so·​cial ˌant-i-ˈsō-shəl 

ˌan-ˌtī-

1

: unfriendly sense 1

2

: being against or bad for society

especially : being or exhibiting behavior that is very different from accepted behavior

Medical Definition

antisocial

adjective

an·​ti·​so·​cial -ˈsō-shəl 

: hostile or harmful to organized society: as

a

: being or marked by behavior deviating sharply from the social norm

b

: of, relating to, or characterized by an antisocial personality, the antisocial personality disorder, or behavior typical of either