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.

Kirk is appealingly standoffish, if such a thing might be imagined.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2026

Yet at the outset, the US appeared strikingly standoffish.

From BBC • May 11, 2025

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

At a 1988 talk, the journalist Paul Goldberger asked Portman about the standoffish design of his Times Square Marriott Marquis.

From Slate • Jul. 28, 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