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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of standoffish
Her earthy, extroverted manner contrasts with the more reserved, standoffish Starmer, a former human rights lawyer.
—
Max Foster, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for standoffish
Max Foster, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for standoffish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for standoffish
Adjective
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In another imaging campaign, API, assisted by AMIGO, was able to produce detailed images of a black hole jet, the volcanic surface of Jupiter's moon Io, and stellar winds emanating from a distant variable star.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
5 Nov. 2025
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Although the technology to use helium-3 remains distant, its potential value continues to drive long-term interest in lunar and asteroid resource development.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Martell said the tone wasn’t hostile, just detached.—
Will Ripley,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Kimberly-Clark has been attempting to challenge the dominance of consumer goliath Procter & Gamble, whose business spans all drugstore aisles, including cold and digestion medicines.—
NPR,
NPR,
4 Nov. 2025
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Insulate With Mulch No matter the zone, crepe myrtles can benefit from additional mulch that locks in moisture and insulates the roots in cold weather.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse have definitely earned a cool parents award.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
2 Nov. 2025
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The conversation wasn’t animated and, ultimately, cool heads stayed that way.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Understandably excited, Quayle couldn’t resist a playful shoulder punch to the older, reserved Bush, who smiled awkwardly.—
Time,
Time,
3 Nov. 2025
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There are general admission, reserved tickets and box seating viewing areas.—
Abby Hamblin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Oct. 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 8 Nov. 2025.
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