English
Adjective
en-adj
- aloof|Aloof; reserved; unsociable and unfriendly.
Quotations
1922, w:James_Joyce|James Joyce, Ulysses, episode 16,
:His initial impression was that he was a bit standoffish or not over effusive.
1928, w:D._H._Lawrence|D. H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley's Lover, ch. 7,
:They were always a haughty family, standoffish in a way, as they've a right to be.
Synonyms
cold
distant
Related terms
standoffishness
See also
standoff
stand off
References
R:Dictionary.com|standoffish
"standoffish" in Encarta® World English Dictionary [North American Edition] © & (P)2007 Microsoft Corporation.
"standoffish" in Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press 2007.
"standoffish" in Compact Oxford English Dictionary, © Oxford University Press, 2007.
Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989.
Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary, 1987-1996.
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