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aloof

American  
[uh-loof] / əˈluf /

adverb

  1. at a distance, especially in feeling or interest; apart.

    They always stood aloof from their classmates.
    Antonyms:
    near

adjective

  1. reserved or reticent; indifferent; disinterested.

    Because of his shyness, he had the reputation of being aloof.
    Synonyms:
    disdainful, haughty, snobbish, standoffish, distant, detached, cool
    Antonyms:
    open, warm, outgoing, gregarious
aloof British  
/ əˈluːf /

adjective

  1. distant, unsympathetic, or supercilious in manner, attitude, or feeling

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • aloofly adverb
  • aloofness noun

Etymology

Origin of aloof

First recorded in 1525–35; a- 1 + loof luff

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.