uncommunicativeness
Refusal to speak
Uncommunicativeness is the quality of being unwilling or reluctant to share information, thoughts, or feelings.
It suggests a disposition toward silence or reticence rather than a single instance: His uncommunicativeness made it hard to know what he was thinking.
The word is formal and somewhat unwieldy; in casual speech, people more often say someone is closed off or hard to read.
Inability to speak
- taciturnityDisinclined to speak
- quietnessLack of sound
- wordlessnessLacking verbal expression
- speechlessnessInability to speak
inarticulacy · unresponsiveness · laconism · terseness · brevity · monosyllabic · tight-lipped · stonewalling
Habitual verbal restraint
- guardednessDefensive emotional reserve
- privacyFreedom from observation
- discretionCareful judgment in speech
- restraintControl over impulses
self-containment · closemouthed · tight-lipped · unforthcoming · noncommittal · secretive · guarded · discreet
Emotional unavailability, standoffishness
- detachmentSeparation or emotional uninvolvement
- isolationComplete separation from others
- distanceSpace between two points
- remotenessQuality of being faraway
inaccessibility · unapproachability · standoffishness · coldness · unsociability · introversion · reclusiveness · hermetic
Fearful lack of courage
- bashfulnessTimid self-consciousness
- diffidenceModest self-distrust
- hesitancyUnwillingness to proceed
- self-consciousnessUncomfortable awareness of oneself
awkwardness · coyness · meekness · sheepishness · inhibition · nervousness · wallflower · mousy
muteness
Inability to speak
- taciturnityDisinclined to speak
- quietnessLack of sound
- wordlessnessLacking verbal expression
speechlessness · inarticulacy · unresponsiveness · laconism · terseness · brevity · monosyllabic · tight-lipped · stonewalling · mum
reticence
Habitual verbal restraint
- guardednessDefensive emotional reserve
- privacyFreedom from observation
- discretionCareful judgment in speech
restraint · self-containment · closemouthed · tight-lipped · unforthcoming · noncommittal · secretive · guarded · discreet · taciturn
aloofness
Emotional unavailability, standoffishness
- detachmentSeparation or emotional uninvolvement
- isolationComplete separation from others
- distanceSpace between two points
remoteness · inaccessibility · unapproachability · standoffishness · coldness · unsociability · introversion · reclusiveness · hermetic · reclusive
timidity
Fearful lack of courage
- bashfulnessTimid self-consciousness
- diffidenceModest self-distrust
- hesitancyUnwillingness to proceed
self-consciousness · awkwardness · coyness · meekness · sheepishness · inhibition · nervousness · wallflower · mousy · shrinking
uncommunicativenessopenness
Quality of being accessible
communicativeness · candor · frankness · transparency · disclosure
uncommunicativenesstalkativeness
Inclination to speak extensively
loquaciousness · garrulousness · chattiness · effusiveness · volubility
communicate, communication, commune, communicative, uncommunicative, incommunicado, communicable, excommunication, miscommunication