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 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 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 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
  1. distant
  2. detached
  3. cold
  4. cool
  5. dry
  6. reserved
  7. aloof
  8. withdrawn
Adjective
  • Your destination might have clear skies and calm water, but a distant storm can still disrupt your travel plans.
    — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The Republican primary is a noisy but ultimately uneventful fight to finish a distant second.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of distant
Adjective
  • Her detached limb is later shown lying on the ground as the violent confrontation between the two versions of Burke continues.
    — Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The new Garage Tilt Sensor and Outdoor Contact Sensor are built for places where standard indoor contact sensors don't really make sense, including garage doors, garden gates, sheds, storage units and detached garages.
    — Paul Lamkin, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of detached
Adjective
  • Health benefits Peppermint oil is widely used as pain relief, digestive aid and cold relief.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Eldridge’s home run, a solo shot, was the latest exhibition of his game-changing power, an opposite-field, 423-foot blast that cleared the left-center field fence on a cold San Francisco (50-70) night with feet to spare.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of cold
Adjective
  • The Broderie Anglaise With a Transitional Jacket With fall’s cool breezes on the horizon, a transitional suede jacket brings depth—and texture—to everyone’s favorite nightie dress from Dôen.
    — Laura Jackson, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2026
  • But the fans have treated me so well here, and to hear people cheering for that is cool.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of cool
Adjective
  • Another round of showers is possible Saturday evening, but there will be plenty of dry time in between.
    — Adam Del Rosso, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • With France experiencing its driest year ever, a new fire raced through woodlands overnight in the Landes region on the southwest coast.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of dry
Adjective
  • Add a generous, heaping spoonful of the zucchini ragu (about 1/2 cup) to the pan along with a splash of the reserved pasta water.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Whisk together milk and reserved pineapple juices in a medium bowl until combined.
    — Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of reserved
Adjective
  • Technically very good, but also a little aloof, while getting good results without appearing to try desperately hard to impress you.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Akihito, who abdicated in 2019, tried to bring what was seen as an aloof monarchy closer to the people, an example followed by his son, Naruhito, and his family.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of aloof
Adjective
  • In an era of ball-to-feet No 10s and withdrawn strikers, Welbeck stays high up the pitch, runs the channels and occupies defenders.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • The withdrawn earnings are taxed as ordinary income, the Treasury said.
    — Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 11 July 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 18 Aug. 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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of oxymoron

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

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
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All