uncommunicative
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Meaning
not willing to talk or give information; reserved or silent.
Structure
Usage
he became withdrawn and uncommunicative after the incident.
the witness was deliberately uncommunicative during the interrogation.
her uncommunicative nature made it difficult to know what she was thinking.
Etymology
The word "uncommunicative" is built upon the core concept of sharing or imparting information, derived from the Latin communicare. The addition of the adjectival suffix "-ive" transforms it into "communicative," describing someone inclined to share. Finally, the Old English negative prefix "un-" is attached, logically inverting the meaning to describe a person who is not inclined to share thoughts or information. This construction follows a clear, additive logic in English word formation, where a positive quality is first established and then negated to define its opposite.
Analysis
- un: a prefix of germanic origin (old english) meaning "not," used to form negatives. - communicat(e): from latin communicatus, the past participle of communicare meaning "to share, impart, make common." the base communis means "common, public." - ive: a suffix of latin origin (-ivus), used to form adjectives meaning "having the nature or quality of."