Meanings
plural aloofnesses
- uncountableusuallyThe state of being aloof.
She wouldn't lose him without a struggle: his aloofness and indifference set a challenge which she could not resist.
1956, Arthur C. Clarke, The City and the Stars, page 491 more example
Where was he now? Nick was still in the alien high reach of the road, with the canal and the council estates, and longing for the other end, his own end, the safety and aloofness of white stucco and private gardens.
2004, Alan Hollinghurst, chapter 6, in The Line of Beauty […], London: Picador, →ISBN
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna disposition to be distant and unsympathetic in manner
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Dutch afstandelijkheid, gereserveerdheid
- afstandelijkheidthe state of being aloof
- gereserveerdheidthe state of being aloof
Finnish pidättyväisyys
- pidättyväisyysthe state of being aloof
French réserve, attitude distante
- réservethe state of being aloof
- attitude distantethe state of being aloof
German Distanziertheit, Unnahbarkeit
- Distanziertheitthe state of being aloof
- Unnahbarkeitthe state of being aloof
Māori tūrangahapa
- tūrangahapathe state of being aloof
Portuguese distância
- distânciathe state of being aloof
Romanian rezervă, distanță
- rezervăthe state of being aloof
- distanțăthe state of being aloof
- răcealăthe state of being aloof
Russian отчуждённость, за́мкнутость
- отчуждённость (otčuždjónnostʹ)the state of being aloof
- за́мкнутость (zámknutostʹ)the state of being aloof
Spanish reserva, actitud distante
- reservathe state of being aloof
- actitud distantethe state of being aloof
Ukrainian відчуженість, нетовариськість
- відчуженість (vidčuženistʹ)the state of being aloof
- нетовариськість (netovarysʹkistʹ)the state of being aloof
- замкнутість (zamknutistʹ)the state of being aloof
Cite this entry
aloofness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aloofness
“aloofness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aloofness. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “aloofness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aloofness.
Source: aloofness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.