Unsociabilities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality or state of being unwilling to engage socially with others
2. The tendency to avoid interactions and maintain distance from social situations
3. Characterized by a lack of interest in forming or sustaining social relationships

Etymology: "Unsociabilities" is the plural of "unsociability," which describes a dislike of company or a tendency to avoid other people. The noun is built from "unsociable," which itself combines the prefix "un-" (meaning "not") with "sociable," and the suffix "-ity," a common English ending that turns an adjective into an abstract noun, as in "ability" or "sensibility." Taken together, the parts mean roughly "the quality of not being sociable." Because it is a plural, "unsociabilities" refers to several separate instances or kinds of this trait, such as the various ways a person might shun company. The word is a straightforward formation from existing English parts rather than a borrowing, so its history is largely a matter of how those parts were combined.