Meaning & use
standoffish
Cold or reserved in manner, and unwilling to be friendly or sociable.
See it in a sentence
New coworkers sometimes find her standoffish, though she's really just shy at first.
The cat was standoffish with strangers but affectionate once it knew you well.
A note on using this word
Standoffish describes an outward manner that may or may not reflect true feelings; a shy person can appear standoffish without meaning to.
Words with a similar meaning
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Words with an opposite meaning
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