unsociability
Preference for solitude
Unsociability is the quality of not enjoying or seeking the company of others.
Unlike hostility or rudeness, it suggests a preference for solitude rather than active dislike: His unsociability wasn't personal—he simply preferred books to people.
The term is neutral, describing temperament rather than judging it.
Complete separation from others
- seclusionVoluntary withdrawal from society
- reclusivenessState of avoiding society
- withdrawalAct of taking away
- hermitageSecluded religious dwelling
separateness · solitariness · aloneness · remoteness · loneliness · retreat · privacy · sequestration
Apart or uninvolved
- standoffishUnfriendly in manner
- coldLow temperature state
- distantFar away or aloof
- unapproachableImpossible to access or befriend
reserved · unfriendly · haughty · snobbish · impersonal · frigid · chilly · disdainful
Lacking courage or confidence
- bashfulUncomfortably self-conscious
- awkwardLacking grace or ease
- self-consciousUncomfortably aware of oneself
- nervousUneasy and apprehensive
hesitant · inhibited · diffident · retiring · withdrawn · shrinking · tongue-tied · wallflower
Existing alone, apart
- self-containedWhole without external parts
- introspectiveExamining one's own mind
- inwardToward the inside
- privateRestricted to certain parties
quiet · reflective · contemplative · self-sufficient · inner-directed · reclusive · hermetic · uncommunicative
isolation
Complete separation from others
- seclusionVoluntary withdrawal from society
- reclusivenessState of avoiding society
- withdrawalAct of taking away
hermitage · separateness · solitariness · aloneness · remoteness · loneliness · retreat · privacy · sequestration · exclusion
detached
Apart or uninvolved
- standoffishUnfriendly in manner
- coldLow temperature state
- distantFar away or aloof
unapproachable · reserved · unfriendly · haughty · snobbish · impersonal · frigid · chilly · disdainful · frosty
timid
Lacking courage or confidence
- bashfulUncomfortably self-conscious
- awkwardLacking grace or ease
- self-consciousUncomfortably aware of oneself
nervous · hesitant · inhibited · diffident · retiring · withdrawn · shrinking · tongue-tied · wallflower · guarded
solitary
Existing alone, apart
- self-containedWhole without external parts
- introspectiveExamining one's own mind
- inwardToward the inside
private · quiet · reflective · contemplative · self-sufficient · inner-directed · reclusive · hermetic · uncommunicative · taciturn
- introversionintroversion, solitude, alone time, isolation, loner
- unfriendlinessunfriendliness, coldness, hostility, rudeness, aloofness
unsociabilitysociability
Tendency toward friendly interaction
sociableness · gregariousness · friendliness · conviviality · cordiality
social, society, sociable, socialism, socialize, unsociable, socially, unsocial, sociability