as in distant
having or showing a lack of friendliness or interest in others
she was consistently surly and offish with the would-be suitors who came calling
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Recent Examples of offish
They weren’t being stand-offish, not at all.
—
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
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
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offish
Adjective
-
One whose roots lie in generations of people determined to turn distant communication into an everyday reality.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Oct. 2025
-
But André, who Bonitzer has named after the early surrealist André-Aimé-René Masson, soon confronts our man with a situation that — at least on some distant subconscious level — forces him to re-evaluate his metrics.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The detached house was built in 2013 and has a living area of 3,186 square feet.—
Bay Area Home Report,
Mercury News,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The fast sale over list price comes in contrast to September’s statistics from the Denver Metro Association of Realtors, which show buyers continue to favor detached homes.—
Sara B. Hansen,
Denver Post,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Persistent winds came first from the South then switched with even colder winds coming from the North.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Starting November 4 at participating Whataburger locations, customers can enjoy the new Frosted Berry Whatafresher, a frosty drink blend featuring sweet blackberry flavor, including real blueberry bursties, and a cloud of cold whip.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse have definitely earned a cool parents award.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
2 Nov. 2025
-
The conversation wasn’t animated and, ultimately, cool heads stayed that way.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Dry the countertops with a clean, dry cloth to prevent water spots.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Buff the area with a clean, dry cloth to finish.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Understandably excited, Quayle couldn’t resist a playful shoulder punch to the older, reserved Bush, who smiled awkwardly.—
Time,
Time,
3 Nov. 2025
-
There are general admission, reserved tickets and box seating viewing areas.—
Abby Hamblin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Discerning viewers flock to the Greek filmmaker’s parables about family dynamics and power struggles to marinate in his deadpan humor, his aloof and somewhat anthropological look at human behavior, and the sight of Emma Stone inevitably doing something odd.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Kincaid has the rare ability to shift between aloof, emotionally-distant narrators and a warm autobiographical register.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Set in Taiwan in 1988, Girl revolves around Hsiao-lee, a quiet and withdrawn girl, growing up in silent gloom.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Unfortunately, further discussions were heated, with no resolve, just more withdrawn behavior while the communications continued.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offish. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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