standoffish

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Yet at the outset, the US appeared strikingly standoffish.

From BBC • May 11, 2025

I went from being very standoffish about him and not trusting him to really enjoying our conversations.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2024

For her latest movie, “Sometimes I Think About Dying,” Daisy Ridley plays Fran, a drab, standoffish, occasionally obnoxious office worker.

From New York Times • Feb. 10, 2024

Over the course of seven years, we saw them morph from standoffish children — often bullied because of the complexion of their skin — to two young, confident leaders.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 4, 2023

You may well get a gut feeling that the applicant doesn’t really have what it takes, or maybe that he is a bit standoffish, or maybe that he doesn’t really want the job.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell