Both words are used to suggest that the behaviour of the individual in question is not normal; it is not something along expected lines. An asocial person is someone who shuns or avoids the company of others. He likes his solitude, and when people try to force their company on him, he may try to escape or may turn hostile. An asocial person, it must be remembered, does not usually resort to violence. The antisocial person, like the asocial individual, likes to be left alone; he does not prefer the company of others. But unlike the asocial being, the antisocial individual may harbour a lot of ill will towards the society he lives in, and may choose to act on his feelings. He may go about destroying other people’s property, become a cause public nuisance, etc. The Indian media, while reporting on riots, always talk about the ‘antisocial elements that went about destroying property’.
Radha is very shy, but certainly not asocial/antisocial.
Ram’s antisocial behaviour at the party ruined his reputation.
Published in the Hindu on 8 February 2016.
Know Your English 