unsociable

adjective

un·​so·​cia·​ble ˌən-ˈsō-shə-bəl How to pronounce unsociable (audio)
1
: having or showing a disinclination for social activity : solitary, reserved
2
: not conducive to sociability
unsociability noun
unsociableness noun
unsociably adverb

Examples of unsociable in a Sentence

a job with unsociable hours an unsociable but not an overtly rude child
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Ask Amy: My unsociable neighbor doesn't know about me and his wife. Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News, 2 June 2024 To drink too much would be inexcusable; to drink too little would be unsociable. Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Feb. 2024 Pact and Bectu have been negotiating over terms of their new collective bargaining agreement since last year, with the crew union wanting more conditions in place regarding unsociable hours and the producers’ body saying that many of the requests are unworkable. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 30 Aug. 2022 That made trucking, with its unsociable hours and dingy roadside bathrooms, less attractive. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2021 For instance, long and unsociable hours are commonplace, and while this is in part due to the shortage of skilled personnel, there is also a cultural element to this that prohibits many from considering it a viable career. Adi Gaskell, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2021 Gaming has so often been painted with the wrong brush — stereotyped as being isolating and unsociable. Bartosz Skwarczek, Forbes, 17 June 2021 The social media generation is increasingly clueless and unsociable. Susan Glaser, cleveland, 1 Mar. 2020 Samuel Johnson, one recalls, a ferociously unsociable reader, and blind as a bat, was constantly in danger of singeing his wig against his candle. John Sutherland, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unsociable was in 1600

Dictionary Entries Near unsociable

Cite this Entry

“Unsociable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsociable. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

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