standoffish
adjective
stand·off·ish
stand-ˈȯ-fish 
: somewhat cold and reserved
standoffishly
adverb
standoffishness
noun
Examples of standoffish in a Sentence
She tends to be a bit standoffish with strangers.
she proved to be simply shy, not standoffish
Recent Examples on the Web
As luck would have it, while living like a character out of an Austen novel, Jane meets a standoffish man who initially comes off as rude and pretentious.
—
Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
Stubborn and can be a bit standoffish, but great protectors.
—D.l. Davis, jsonline.com, 14 Nov. 2025
The movie flattening Carrie into someone downtrodden and fragile, rather than standoffish and conflicted, makes the whole resolution feel a little too clean.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
In detention, some dorm-mates were standoffish.
—Dan Greene, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
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Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
Stubborn and can be a bit standoffish, but great protectors.
—D.l. Davis, jsonline.com, 14 Nov. 2025
The movie flattening Carrie into someone downtrodden and fragile, rather than standoffish and conflicted, makes the whole resolution feel a little too clean.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
In detention, some dorm-mates were standoffish.
—Dan Greene, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for standoffish
Cite this Entry
“Standoffish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standoffish. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
standoffish
adjective
stand·off·ish
stan-ˈdȯ-fish
: not friendly : aloof
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