How to Use standoffish in a Sentence

standoffish

adjective
  • She tends to be a bit standoffish with strangers.
  • Some came off standoffish, but most were eager to learn.
    — Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Go ahead and be cool, but don't alienate people by being too standoffish.
    — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive.com, 16 Aug. 2019
  • Those who know Carman have described him as aloof or standoffish.
    — Hartford Courant, 10 May 2022
  • This kitty was too small, too young and too friendly – Joa was much more standoffish.
    — Michelle Matthews | [email protected], al, 26 Apr. 2021
  • Ozzy was standoffish, didn't like to play, and refused to let Sunny lay near him.
    — Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Every standoffish adult survived as a chick by this cuddling.
    — Laura Erickson, Popular Science, 6 Nov. 2020
  • Stubborn and can be a bit standoffish, but great protectors.
    — D.l. Davis, jsonline.com, 14 Nov. 2025
  • Sometimes the customers from campus can come across as standoffish.
    — Chrissie Thompson, USA TODAY, 6 June 2021
  • In detention, some dorm-mates were standoffish.
    — Dan Greene, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Don’t mistake him for being standoffish, though.
    — Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 12 June 2026
  • Kirk is appealingly standoffish, if such a thing might be imagined.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
  • The defensive record of five goals conceded in two games is a worthy one of a sluggish and standoffish side.
    — SI.com, 27 Aug. 2019
  • In Google’s earliest days its co-founders were standoffish at best with journalists.
    — Aaron Pressman, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2020
  • The boy was quiet, even standoffish, when Steve Montgomery first met him 15 years ago.
    — Taylor Batten, Charlotte Observer, 13 Mar. 2026
  • In the past, Rivers has been standoffish about his eventual replacement joining the team.
    — Dan Woike, latimes.com, 18 Apr. 2018
  • Karev was initially resented by his colleagues for his standoffish manner, but grew to form a rapport with them.
    — NBC News, 10 Jan. 2020
  • Employees were instructed to be standoffish and aloof, to only speak to customers if spoken to first.
    — Washington Post, 23 Nov. 2021
  • But the bustling, metropolitan vibe might not be right for everyone, and the locals can come across as standoffish.
    — Nina B. Lichtenstein, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2019
  • But on the level of urbanism, the building remains standoffish.
    — Carolina A. Miranda, latimes.com, 12 July 2019
  • The graphic tees are gone, so too are the shirtless male models, standoffish sales associates, and sizes that topped out at a women's 10.
    — Fortune, 24 Nov. 2021
  • Atkins, who is extremely reserved by nature, seemed disinterested at first, maybe even a bit standoffish.
    — Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, 17 Mar. 2022
  • Even the queen's notoriously standoffish corgis are enthralled with her.
    — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 14 Dec. 2017
  • Her brood includes peacocks, chickens, goats, horses, donkeys, and a new rescue rabbit named Bugsy who’s a bit standoffish.
    — Emily Elias, Vogue, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Current and former neighbors in Wisconsin described him as gruff, standoffish and prone to losing his temper.
    — New York Times, 13 Apr. 2022
  • My dog is energetic, submissive, and warm; my cat is lazy, independent, and standoffish.
    — Christian Alejandro Gonzalez, National Review, 21 Feb. 2021
  • The four leads are all well cast and have great chemistry with one another, especially after Leighton stops being standoffish to the others a few episodes in.
    — Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 17 Nov. 2021
  • Researchers in Colorado noticed that in the early stages of chronic wasting disease, deer got a dull, vacant look in their eyes and appeared standoffish.
    — John Fauber, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6 July 2017
  • Few neighbors wanted to speak on the record about the family, but several said the Toebbes were standoffish, more likely to ignore waves than to return them.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 11 Oct. 2021
  • Her earthy, extroverted manner contrasts with the more reserved, standoffish Starmer, a former human rights lawyer.
    — Max Foster, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'standoffish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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