Meaning & use
non-communicative
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Unwilling or unable to talk with others or share information, feelings, or ideas.
Grammar: Can be used before a noun ('a non-communicative boss') or after a linking verb ('He became non-communicative').
Patterns
- be non-communicative
- a non-communicative person
- become non-communicative
After the argument, he became completely non-communicative.
The department was criticized for being non-communicative about the changes.
She found her new colleagues rather non-communicative at first.
adjectivenot comparabletechnical
Not involving or allowing communication, especially between parts of a system or between people.
Grammar: Used before a noun in technical contexts: 'a non-communicative environment'. Not usually graded.
Patterns
- non-communicative environment
- non-communicative system
- non-communicative disease
In a non-communicative disease, the illness does not spread between people.
The two departments worked in non-communicative isolation.
A non-communicative classroom gives students little chance to speak.
Word forms
| comparative | more non-communicative |
|---|---|
| superlative | most non-communicative |
Common combinations
- become non-communicative
- He became non-communicative after the bad news.
- completely non-communicative
- She was completely non-communicative during the whole trip.
- a non-communicative boss
- A non-communicative boss can make staff feel anxious.
- non-communicative about something
- The government was non-communicative about its plans.
Synonyms and how they differ
- uncommunicative
- A common variant without the hyphen; it means the same and is equally acceptable.
- reserved
- Reserved means quiet and not showing feelings, but it is often a neutral or positive trait; non-communicative is more negative.
- withdrawn
- Withdrawn suggests pulling away from people, often because of unhappiness; non-communicative simply means not sharing information.
Opposites
Word family
- communicate verb
- To share information, ideas, or feelings with others.
- communication noun
- The act of sharing information or feelings.
- communicative adjective
- Willing and able to talk and share information.
Commonly confused: non-communicative or incommunicative?
non-communicative vs incommunicative
This is a rarer variant of the same word. 'Non-communicative' is the more common form today.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'non-communicative' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Non-communicative' means unwilling to talk or share information, so refusing to discuss the problem fits. The other options describe talkative, open behaviour, which is the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “non-communicative”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.