as in distant
having or showing a lack of friendliness or interest in others
she proved to be simply shy, not standoffish
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Recent Examples of standoffish
DeVito, on the other hand, was a series regular on all five seasons, portraying Louie De Palma, the standoffish head dispatcher of the Sunshine Cab Company.
—
Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Ozzy was standoffish, didn't like to play, and refused to let Sunny lay near him.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Aug. 2025
The opening match between Finland and Iceland was incredibly standoffish, with neither side looking to close down in the opposition’s half at all.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 6 July 2025
Hired as a live-in caretaker in the opulent home, Ana Maria (Jenny Navarrete), a pregnant Colombian immigrant in Panama City hiding a major secret, develops a genuine bond with the initially standoffish Mechi, making for an unassumingly poignant and superbly acted two-hander.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for standoffish
Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Ozzy was standoffish, didn't like to play, and refused to let Sunny lay near him.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Aug. 2025
The opening match between Finland and Iceland was incredibly standoffish, with neither side looking to close down in the opposition’s half at all.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 6 July 2025
Hired as a live-in caretaker in the opulent home, Ana Maria (Jenny Navarrete), a pregnant Colombian immigrant in Panama City hiding a major secret, develops a genuine bond with the initially standoffish Mechi, making for an unassumingly poignant and superbly acted two-hander.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for standoffish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for standoffish
Adjective
-
New James Webb Space Telescope observations have shed light on a distant world with no sun.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Over the centuries, Muslim traders built mosques and schools in sedate Tamale, which was more inland and distant from the direct links of the transatlantic slave and colonial trade.—
Edna Bonhomme,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Due to his austere and detached manner, he is known to immediately inspire awe in his patients.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The consensus narrative of institutional finance has become so detached from empirical reality that diagnosing the problem requires abandoning its vocabulary for the precision of mathematics.—
Benjamin D. Summers,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Warm water lifts grime better and helps deep clean better than cold.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Zinc perchlorate remains primarily in the liquid to control the ion movement and improve the battery’s freeze resistance for cold-weather performance.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Watson was accused of being aloof and out of touch and the team’s management was publicly roasted by a furious Phil Mickelson in the Sunday night press conference.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
25 Sep. 2025
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In fact, despite playing one of her most aloof characters yet, the real Roberts starts to tear up when Sevigny talks about admiring her.—
Ramin Setoodeh,
Variety,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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These foundations include having a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, avoiding technology use at night, and cultivating a cool, dark and quiet sleeping environment.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
28 Sep. 2025
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We got disconnected, and this whole resurgence of The Clique online has reconnected us in this really cool, organic and magical way.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The film shows the unspoken love and care expressed by gestures among the emotionally more reserved Chinese families, while in the film, the Qeelin jewelry becomes part of that special moment with auspicious meanings.—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
29 Sep. 2025
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Top with reserved sausage, corn, and tomatoes.—
Liz Mervosh,
Southern Living,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
“Standoffish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/standoffish. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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