standoffish

adjective

stand·​off·​ish stand-ˈȯ-fish 

: somewhat cold and reserved

standoffishly adverb

standoffishness noun

Synonyms of standoffish

• distant
• detached
• cold
• aloof
• cool
• reserved
• withdrawn

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

Sarandos was asked about his consistently standoffish comments about theaters, even as the company has produced crowd-pleasing titles and courted top-tier filmmakers who are passionate about the theatrical experience. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026

Her brood includes peacocks, chickens, goats, horses, donkeys, and a new rescue rabbit named Bugsy who’s a bit standoffish. —Emily Elias, Vogue, 15 Jan. 2026

Moscow’s standoffish stance last year was a wake-up call to Tehran’s leadership about the limits of its alliance with Putin — limits that were being seen today too, analysts said. —Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2026

Created by Liz Tuccillo (Alaska Daily), Best Medicine centers on Martin Best, a standoffish but talented Boston surgeon who’s abruptly taken a post as Port Wenn’s new general practitioner. —Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 2 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for standoffish

• cuttlefish
• jellyfish
• sablefish
• bluefish
• catfish
• codfish
• crawfish
• dogfish
• finfish
• flatfish
• goldfish
• groundfish

Kids Definition

standoffish

adjective

stand·​off·​ish stan-ˈdȯ-fish 

: not friendly : aloof