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 of antisocial

• detached
• distant
• cold
• asocial
• cool
• unsociable
• reserved
• aloof

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

As the media fixates on the digital natives known as Gen Z and Gen Alpha — often dismissing them as antisocial and entitled members of society — Saturday’s celebration showed that younger generations might actually have it all under control. —Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026

And, perhaps, his mental-health struggles, his mood swings, and the antisocial behaviors that The Dark Wizard recounts and suggests were the cost of — or maybe the reason for — his athletic prowess. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 May 2026

That means that the child is inadvertently traumatized and is antisocial. —Megan Shinn, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026

However, the system isn't completely antisocial. —New Atlas, 14 Jan. 2026

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