aloofness

[ uh-loof-nis ]

noun

1. the quality or state of being aloof, distant, or reserved; indifference:

   His girlfriend's recent aloofness may be a sign that the relationship is over.

Word History and Origins

Origin of aloofness¹

aloof + -ness

Example Sentences

It’s difficult to describe the reaction to the moment the president looked at his watch during a debate question about the recession, allegedly signifying his aloofness, or seemed impressed by a new supermarket checkout scanner, supposedly revealing that he didn’t understand how normal people live.

From Los Angeles Times

The set designer Adam Rigg’s storybook framework, with rolling hills and broad-leaved plants that look like cardboard cutouts, achieves grandeur without aloofness.

From New York Times

Smith is miscast as Myrtle, for a start: Her onstage bearing exudes a homely approachability rather than high-strung poise or inscrutable aloofness.

From New York Times

Smith is miscast as Myrtle, for a start: Her onstage bearing exudes a homely approachability rather than high-strung poise or inscrutable aloofness.

From New York Times

A Hasidic woman laments what she sees as her second-class status, and a Black parks employee in Brooklyn condemns what he says is the aloofness and “spiritual arrogance” of the Hasidim he has encountered.

From New York Times

Related Words

• remoteness