offish

adjective

ˈȯ-fish How to pronounce offish (audio)
Definition of offishnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of offish They weren’t being stand-offish, not at all. — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025 Guzmán said the stereotype that Germans are stand-offish is way off the mark. — Soudi Jiménezescritor, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2022 The plaza between the two buildings makes the complex feel open and welcoming, not overbearing or stand-offish. — Steven Litt, cleveland, 4 Oct. 2020 Off fans will also find a few cakes, including the show-offish Swedish Prinsesstårta. — Kate Krader, Bloomberg.com, 13 Nov. 2020 Most of the mentor-teacher characters in kung fu films are extremely stand-offish and intimidating. — Clark Collis, EW.com, 1 July 2020 So long as that situation continues, the 43-year-old’s allegedly arrogant and stand-offish treatment of his players will not worry the club hierarchy too much. — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offish
  1. distant
  2. detached
  3. cold
  4. cool
  5. dry
  6. reserved
  7. aloof
  8. withdrawn
Adjective
  • As the Coast Starlight approaches the Bay Area, the train glides past marshlands, open water, and distant city skylines before continuing toward California’s Central Coast.
    — Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 4 July 2026
  • They were received by distant unknown relatives and made their way to Kensington, Illinois, a railroad community on Chicago’s South Side, historically tied to Calumet Junction and the industrial economy that helped shape the region.
    — Phil Kafarakis, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of distant
Adjective
  • Or a pig’s leg lying off to the side, detached and jittering, could resemble Ted’s leg.
    — Will Mackin, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
  • They got approved for a mortgage on a £150,000 (about $198,441) two-bedroom, semi-detached house in Seaham, England.
    — Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 20 June 2026
Definition of detached
Adjective
  • Keep your ride clean Over the life of owning a car, especially in colder areas, salt and road grime can dull paint and cause rust on the underbody of your vehicles, according to Consumer Reports.
    — Keith Laing, USA Today, 8 July 2026
  • The clinical home ecosystem has become the defining phrase of the 2025 to 2026 wellness spending cycle, as buyers stack cold plunges, red light beds and neurotech into serious at-home recovery setups.
    — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 July 2026
Definition of cold
Adjective
  • The fabric feels cool against my skin and never sticks or clings, even on warmer nights.
    — Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
  • Of course, when training in heat and humidity, staying hydrated is critical as well as attempts to stay as cool as possible when training during hot temperatures.
    — Nicole Williams, AJC.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of cool
Adjective
  • In a bowl, combine all dry rub ingredients and season the ribs generously on all sides.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • Flip your cloth to a dry side and buff for that perfect, streak-free shine.
    — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 2 July 2026
Definition of dry
Adjective
  • An opportunity to benefit from FIFA’s litigious inconsistencies, which usually feel reserved for the A-list stars.
    — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 7 July 2026
  • The American Express Platinum Card® comes with access to Amex Experiences, which gets you special access to presale, reserved and preferred tickets.
    — Ryley Amond, CNBC, 7 July 2026
Definition of reserved
Adjective
  • Frances Perkins was, by temperament, cool and aloof, even a bit boring.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 July 2026
  • Tired of trying to come off cool and aloof on dates?
    — Charles Trepany, USA Today, 29 June 2026
Definition of aloof
Adjective
  • Without daily contact with peers, some children become more withdrawn, lonely or emotionally flat.
    — John Samuels, Forbes.com, 8 June 2026
  • Blatter also suggested that Infantino, like a lot of dictators, has started acting withdrawn.
    — Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026
Definition of withdrawn

Browse Nearby Words

offings
offish
off-key
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Offish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offish. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All