offish

adjective

off·​ish ˈȯ-fish How to pronounce offish (audio)
offishness noun

Examples of offish in a Sentence

she was consistently surly and offish with the would-be suitors who came calling
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Richard’s other big ally is undervalued and initially stand-offish plant engineer Clarence C. Baker (Dennis Haysbert), who eventually warms to Richard’s interest in his machines, and who encourages him to think big. Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 Mar. 2023 Guzmán said the stereotype that Germans are stand-offish is way off the mark. Soudi Jiménezescritor, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2022 But announcements on two continents in the last week show that showing the stand-offish situation is changing, with Royal Dutch Shell and General Motors hooking up in the US and BP buying into a BMW-Daimler charging joint venture in Europe. Michael Taylor, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2021 Off fans will also find a few cakes, including the show-offish Swedish Prinsesstårta. Kate Krader, Bloomberg.com, 13 Nov. 2020 The plaza between the two buildings makes the complex feel open and welcoming, not overbearing or stand-offish. Steven Litt, cleveland, 4 Oct. 2020 Most of the mentor-teacher characters in kung fu films are extremely stand-offish and intimidating. Clark Collis, EW.com, 1 July 2020

Word History

Etymology

off entry 1

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of offish was in 1827

Dictionary Entries Near offish

Cite this Entry

“Offish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/offish. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

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