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

Behind the reluctance of some to relax the rule — or eliminate it altogether — is the fear of La Grange becoming like some Chicago suburbs that attract problems with antisocial behavior that can come with too many bars where patrons could get out of hand. —Hank Beckman, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2025

So Far New Order were the ultimate Eighties band: four antisocial kids who rose from the ashes of punk rock, dabbled in electro beats, then accidentally turned into global dance-floor innovators. —Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2025

Interestingly, situational inequality can even affect first-class passengers, by highlighting their privileges, sometimes fostering a sense of entitlement that may lead to antisocial behavior. —Milad Haghani, CNN Money, 6 June 2025

How does this relate to dogged prosecutor Merritt (Chloe Pirrie), whose antisocial tendencies may exceed Morck’s own? —Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 29 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1759, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing antisocial

• antisocial personality disorder

Rhymes for antisocial

• biosocial
• homosocial
• psychosocial
• asocial
• prosocial
• unsocial
• biopsychosocial
• social

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