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
Her brood includes peacocks, chickens, goats, horses, donkeys, and a new rescue rabbit named Bugsy who’s a bit standoffish.
—
Emily Elias, Vogue, 15 Jan. 2026
Moscow’s standoffish stance last year was a wake-up call to Tehran’s leadership about the limits of its alliance with Putin — limits that were being seen today too, analysts said.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2026
Created by Liz Tuccillo (Alaska Daily), Best Medicine centers on Martin Best, a standoffish but talented Boston surgeon who’s abruptly taken a post as Port Wenn’s new general practitioner.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 2 Jan. 2026
Toby-Chien is loyal, rambunctious and devoted, while Kiki is standoffish and narcissistic, and the conversations between them are cleverly comic.
—Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for standoffish
Emily Elias, Vogue, 15 Jan. 2026
Moscow’s standoffish stance last year was a wake-up call to Tehran’s leadership about the limits of its alliance with Putin — limits that were being seen today too, analysts said.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2026
Created by Liz Tuccillo (Alaska Daily), Best Medicine centers on Martin Best, a standoffish but talented Boston surgeon who’s abruptly taken a post as Port Wenn’s new general practitioner.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 2 Jan. 2026
Toby-Chien is loyal, rambunctious and devoted, while Kiki is standoffish and narcissistic, and the conversations between them are cleverly comic.
—Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for standoffish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for standoffish
Adjective
-
As part of the regional consolidation, offices in distant counties could now answer calls and schedule appointments for Jean’s office, and vice versa.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
-
The production is cold, distant, and uncertain, like the world lately, but within the song the lyrics feel warm and comforting.—
Time,
Time,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
The treatments were carried out at Ali’s semi-detached home in Leicester, which was described by investigators and witnesses as unsanitary and unsuitable for clinical care, the news outlet reported.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
-
The property also features a detached, two-story guest house with two independent living spaces.—
Rodney Ho,
AJC.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
When occupancy is lower, the evening happy hour takes place in the lobby lounge, but does not skimp on the buffet spread of hot and cold items, enough for dinner for many people.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
-
Rebecca Montero’s lighting design and Steve Covey’s projection design helps define the many places Moses inhabits, shifting the mood and focus with subtle changes that suggest everything from cold, city streets to synagogues to the Berkshire woods.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
For the priests, this was a case of demonic possession due to witch-craft, and Mary’s crabby, aloof neighbor Elizabeth Jackson was the prime witch suspect.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The pop star needs a dress for a comeback show the following weekend, just days away, which Sam and her aloof assistant Hilda (Hunter Schafer, wasted) say can’t be done.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
While Jaquez did not provide the eye-popping scoring of some of her teammates, the wing brought a cool effectiveness to the defensive side of the ball while tallying a pair of assists and a handful of deflections.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2026
-
Pair white jeans with a black tee for timeless contrast, layer a white denim jacket with a flowy dress on spring days, or style white shorts and skirts with lightweight tops to stay cool all summer.—
Published,
Southern Living,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
Blue Origin, on the other hand, is taking its usual reserved approach compared to SpaceX's iterative design implementations.—
Chelsea Gohd,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
-
Redford sought to play the Bob Woodward character as reserved and calculating, while Hoffman, as Carl Bernstein, was manic and chain-smoking.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
The typically quiet, withdrawn student seemed more engaged in his first-period class than usual, English teacher Sarah Murer told investigators.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
-
The withdrawn draft focused on setting up several new watchdogs to keep AI in check, including a dedicated commission and a special insurance fund to help people if the new technology caused harm.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Standoffish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/standoffish. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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