incommunicative

[ in-kuh-myoo-ni-kuh-tiv, -key- ]

adjective

1. not communicative; reserved; uncommunicative.

incommunicative

/ ˌɪnkəˈmjuːnɪkətɪv /

adjective

1. tending not to communicate with others; taciturn

Derived Forms

• ˌincomˈmunicatively, adverb
• ˌincomˈmunicativeness, noun

Other Words From

• incom·muni·ca·tive·ly adverb
• incom·muni·ca·tive·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of incommunicative¹

First recorded in 1660–70; in- ³ + communicative

Example Sentences

But he was able to communicate with Willis about getting the beloved series to viewers “before the disease rendered him as incommunicative as he is now.”

From Los Angeles Times

"News of the World," therefore, becomes an adventure featuring a grizzled older man and a young incommunicative child.

From Salon

Some have “hyperactive delirium,” paranoid hallucinations and agitation; some have “hypoactive delirium,” internalized visions and confusion that cause patients to become withdrawn and incommunicative; and some have both.

From Seattle Times

Chip’s incommunicative nature, as embodied by Cornack’s deliberately inert performance, is played for creepy deadpan laughs that never quite arrive; he’s the bland Dr. Jekyll to his own Mr. Hind.

From Los Angeles Times

They were both at a late-night dinner in Rome in May, but Osaka said she was tired and incommunicative that time.

From New York Times