desocialize

[ dee-soh-shuh-lahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, de·so·cial·ized, de·so·cial·iz·ing.

1. to remove from a customary social environment:

   Imprisonment desocializes the inmates.

Other Words From

• de·social·i·zation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of desocialize¹

First recorded in 1885–90; de- + socialize

Example Sentences

Admittedly we’re in the realm of personal observation here, but when I’ve run across sites and services moving in that direction, I’ve felt an instinctive urge to resist — to desocialize.

From Time