standoffish

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Adjective 1.1.1 Quotations 1.1.2 Synonyms 1.1.3 Related terms 1.1.4 See also 1.2 References

[edit] English

[edit] Adjective

standoffish (comparative more standoffish, superlative most standoffish)

1. Aloof; reserved; unsociable and unfriendly.

[edit] Quotations

• 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses, episode 16,

  His initial impression was that he was a bit standoffish or not over effusive.

• 1928, 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.

[edit] Synonyms

• cold
• distant

[edit] Related terms

• standoffishness

[edit] See also

• standoff
• stand off

[edit] References

• “standoffish” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.
• "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.