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
After several minutes of standoffish conversation, Cummings accused Arriola of trying to scam him.
—
Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 10 Nov. 2022
And Steve says, all of this just goes a long way toward the hospital, redefining its once really standoffish relationship with the surrounding neighborhoods.
—Laura Johnston, cleveland, 7 Nov. 2022
Harper is initially cold and standoffish, refusing even to pick up a champagne flute to collectively toast to their impending holiday together.
—Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 31 Oct. 2022
That’s because these standoffish compounds don’t react to anything—not biological or other chemical agents.
—Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 22 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for standoffish
Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 10 Nov. 2022
And Steve says, all of this just goes a long way toward the hospital, redefining its once really standoffish relationship with the surrounding neighborhoods.
—Laura Johnston, cleveland, 7 Nov. 2022
Harper is initially cold and standoffish, refusing even to pick up a champagne flute to collectively toast to their impending holiday together.
—Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 31 Oct. 2022
That’s because these standoffish compounds don’t react to anything—not biological or other chemical agents.
—Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 22 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for standoffish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for standoffish
Adjective
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Shaw’s prophecy was light years distant from Uncle Jerry’s reality.—
Ron Grossman,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2025
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In Oscar-winning writer/director Bong Joon Ho’s new movie, Mickey Barnes (Pattinson) is an Earth man who signs up for a colonizing expedition to a distant icy planet and volunteers for a job that puts him in deadly situations constantly.—
Brian Truitt,
USA TODAY,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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One adult who lives in the detached garage and six adults and three cats who live in an adjacent home were displaced by the fire, according to the post.—
Graeme Taskerud,
The Denver Post,
28 Feb. 2025
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These parents fulfill their child’s basic needs—food, shelter and clothing—but remain emotionally detached and disengaged.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In cold weather, the fluid circulating through the geothermal system’s underground plastic pipes absorbs the relatively warm temperature of the earth and brings it back to home heat pumps, which concentrate the heat and send it into homes.—
Nara Schoenberg,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Mar. 2025
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But as the lingerie giant negotiates around a more cautious consumer, colder weather and tariff uncertainty out of the Trump White House, Hillary Super’s longer-term plans are coming into focus.—
Evan Clark,
WWD,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Adichie’s protagonists are independent and deeply ambivalent, not so much aloof as detached, both from their love interests and from their own desires and aspirations.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2025
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There’s a certain traditional stereotype of actors as people who are arrogant or self-confident, the sort of people who are overly serious, aloof, or pretentious.—
Callum Booth,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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California cool Mother denim has collaborated with JJ Martin’s La Double J fashion brand on a capsule collection debuting Thursday.—
Booth Moore,
WWD,
7 Mar. 2025
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And if that just so happens to lead to a Nobel Peace Prize, that’s cool, too.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Every Wednesday night, Erika Hernandez's home has an open door—and a reserved seat—for her late son's best friend.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
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Members of the State Department's diplomatic corps have a reserved section.—
Javier Zarracina,
USA TODAY,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Hong’s withdrawn gaze is interrupted by sudden movements, like pans across space and crash zooms into ongoing conversations.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2025
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Solitary, eccentric, shrouded in a mystical melancholy, Joakim fights for his farm and leads a withdrawn life, with only his pets and a neighbor for company; a Slovak immigrant who also lives ostracized, as an outsider.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
20 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Standoffish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/standoffish. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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