Meanings
alternative stand-offishness
- uncountableThe state, quality, or condition of being standoffish or aloof and unsociable; aloofness.
Many of the seemingly bizarre courtship practices of English males—the cautiousness, reserve and apparent stand-offishness that foreign females complain about—are characteristic features of ‘negative politeness’.
2004, Kate Fox, “Rules of Sex”, in Watching the English, Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, page 336
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna disposition to be distant and unsympathetic in manner
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Englishstand off
- Englishstandoffish
- Englishstandoffishness
From standoffish + -ness.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Polish nietowarzyskość
- nietowarzyskośćunsociable
Spanish hurañía, frialdad
- hurañíaunsociable
- frialdadunsociable
- reservaunsociable
Cite this entry
standoffishness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/standoffishness
“standoffishness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/standoffishness. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “standoffishness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/standoffishness.
Source: standoffishness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.