antisocial
/antisoˈθjal/
The English phrase antisocial is translated into Spanish as antisocial.
The word antisocial describes someone who is unfriendly toward others. In informal settings, you might instead hear the expression No le gusta la gente, which literally means they don't like people and is used to describe someone who avoids social interactions.
Meaning: unfriendly toward others (adj)
Which one should you use?
While English speakers often use antisocial to mean someone who avoids social interaction, in Spanish, antisocial can sometimes imply a more aggressive or harmful behavior toward society, whereas asocial is more precise for someone who simply lacks social drive.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of antisocial is antisociales.
How do you pronounce it?
/antisoˈθjal/
Did you know?
- While an English speaker might say 'I am feeling antisocial' to mean they want to stay home, saying estoy antisocial in Spanish could sound like you are declaring an intention to disrupt society.
- In Spanish legal and psychiatric contexts, antisocial refers to a personality disorder characterized by a disregard for laws and the rights of others.
- The prefix anti- in antisocial descends from the Ancient Greek ᾰ̓ντῐ́, which originally meant 'opposite' or 'against'.
Examples in context
- El antisocialismo lo dejó solo.His antisocial behavior isolated him.Tatoeba #1314361 by Kiraness, translation #2841174 by Dejo
- Yo puedo ser antisocial, pero eso no significa que no hable con la gente.I may be antisocial, but it doesn't mean I don't talk to people.This sentence illustrates how one can be antisocial without avoiding all conversation.Tatoeba #2561 by Shishir, translation #1355 by wuiwie
- El novio de Yumi es un poco antisocial.Yumi's boyfriend is a bit antisocial.Tatoeba #2764876 by Max101, translation #745773 by Minorojo
- María es una persona antisocial.María is an antisocial person.
- Juan es un tanto asocial.Juan is somewhat asocial.
- Carlos es poco sociable, prefiere pasar tiempo a solas.Carlos is not very sociable, he prefers to spend time alone.
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are talking about a coworker at a cafe.
- Daniel¿Por qué no habla con nadie?Why doesn't he talk to anyone?
- LucíaCreo que es un poco antisocial.I think he is a bit antisocial.
- DanielEs una lástima, es muy inteligente.It is a shame, he is very intelligent.
- LucíaSí, pero prefiere estar solo.Yes, but he prefers to be alone.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry antisocial, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries antisocial, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
