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
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
One neighbor, Shamik Birzhet, 23, who lives in a third-floor apartment above the Pritchetts, told the Daily News the mother always struck him as standoffish and would often leave Jacob in the lobby unattended.
—Colin Mixson, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for standoffish
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
One neighbor, Shamik Birzhet, 23, who lives in a third-floor apartment above the Pritchetts, told the Daily News the mother always struck him as standoffish and would often leave Jacob in the lobby unattended.
—Colin Mixson, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for standoffish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for standoffish
Adjective
-
This property is crucial for generating quantum entanglement between distant nodes, another cornerstone of future quantum communication networks, as per the release.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
-
His short responses feel distant, and his hesitation comes across as disinterest.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
By one estimate, fewer than a quarter of the residential areas in many cities allow anything other than detached single-family homes.—
M. Nolan Gray,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
-
But also, the way that the hospice nurses are so compassionate and calm and present, but at the same time detached.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The spa Shaded by almost 100 palm trees and other endemic plants, the Ojo de Agua (watering hole) spa has hot and cold dipping pools.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Texas has gone cold at the worst time.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
That’s because players generally tend to be neutral on or supportive of their GMs, if not completely aloof.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Chows are depicted on Chinese pottery dating to the Han dynasty; some lore maintains that this aloof, moody breed evolved in the shadow of the North Pole.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
My mother was unusually quiet, not cold toward Chloe but certainly cool.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
General parking is $25 per vehicle on the day of the show, and other options are available for season pass, reserved and premier parking spots.—
Joseph Hernandez
March 13,
Kansas City Star,
13 Mar. 2026
-
In contrast to the hockey arena, Millett Hall has no suites, no club level and only three small reserved sections that aren’t first-come, first-served.—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Parents report that many children stop eating, lose weight and become withdrawn.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Along the way, Babilonia matured from the shy withdrawn child who refused to hold a boy’s hand into a bold, strong and confident woman.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Standoffish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/standoffish. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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