incommunicative

Examples

• All

• The toll was even higher than the engineers had feared: fourteen dead, eight driven incommunicative and insane—and one, Sheila Brunner, still unaccounted for.

  Fiction book (2002)

• With the senses denied their functions, the sex act becomes mechanical and incommunicative.

  Academic text (2003)

• But we have seen how that argument easily gives way to the notion of the incommunicative, private self, and that self Unamuno imagines not as a linguistic entity but as a material one.

  Academic text (1990)

• Despite being surrounded by friends, she felt incommunicative and struggled to express herself.

• His incommunicative nature made it difficult for others to understand his thoughts and emotions.

Synonyms

S

silent

vsincommunicative

397 1.0

Not speaking when people expect an answer

is a lasting unwillingness to communicate rather than a temporary silence

E

evasive

vsincommunicative

25 7.3

Not giving a direct answer to hide the truth or avoid commitment

is a simple refusal to talk rather than deliberately avoiding answers to hide truth

T

tight-lipped

vsincommunicative

18 5.7

Not willing to speak or give information

is reluctant to talk generally, not necessarily hiding information

R

reticent

vsincommunicative

17 7.9

Not willing to talk about thoughts or feelings easily

focuses on reluctance to reveal feelings rather than general refusal to talk

U

uncommunicative

vsincommunicative

4 6.3

Not willing to talk or give information

is the same meaning but spelled with a different negative prefix

D

diffident

vsincommunicative

4 8.0

Shy and not confident about speaking or acting in front of others

is unwilling to speak from choice rather than from shyness or low confidence

M

mealy-mouthed

vsincommunicative

• Offensive

3 8.9

Not willing to speak clearly and directly, often sounding insincere

is a plain unwillingness to speak rather than indirect or hypocritical speech

C

closemouthed

vsincommunicative

1 7.5

Not willing to talk or share information

is hesitant to speak but not always secretive or intentionally hiding

N

noncommunicating

vsincommunicative

6.8

Not willing or able to speak and answer questions

focuses on unwillingness rather than inability to speak or share

N

nonvocal

vsincommunicative

6.2

A person who does not say opinions or feelings openly

is unwilling to talk or share information rather than simply quiet

R

reserved

vsincommunicative

3.7

Not willing to show feelings or talk much

is unwilling to talk about facts or opinions rather than merely restrained

U

untalkative

vsincommunicative

6.2

Not talking much and often listening to others

is actively reluctant to give information or opinions rather than just quiet

U

unexpansive

vsincommunicative

8.6

Not talking much and not showing strong feelings

is about refusing to speak or share information rather than general reserve

U

unconversant

vsincommunicative

9.1

Not comfortable joining small talk at parties or work

is unwilling to share information by choice rather than from awkwardness or lack of skill

Antonyms

T

talkative

33 2.5

A person who likes to speak a lot with other people

C

communicative

3 3.8

Willing to talk and share information or feelings

How Communicative

talkative

33 2.5

incommunicative

7.6

reticent

17 7.9

taciturn

5 8.4

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology