top definitions
related content
examples
explore dictionary
british

aloof

[ uh-loof ]

/ əˈluf /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR aloof ON THESAURUS.COM

WATCH NOW: Who Would You Describe As "Aloof"?

WATCH NOW: Who Would You Describe As "Aloof"?

Cat person or dog person? Everyone is different. But, would you go so far as to call them "aloof"?

MORE VIDEOS FROM DICTIONARY.COM

adverb

at a distance, especially in feeling or interest; apart: They always stood aloof from their classmates.

adjective

reserved or reticent; indifferent; disinterested: Because of his shyness, he had the reputation of being aloof.

Words nearby aloof

alongships, alongshore, alongside, alongside of, alonso, aloof, aloofness, alope, alopecia, alopecia areata, alopecia capitis totalis

Origin of aloof

1525–35; a-¹ + loof luff windward

SYNONYMS FOR aloof

2 cool, detached; distant, standoffish; snobbish, haughty, disdainful.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR aloof ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR aloof

1 near.

2 warm, open, gregarious, outgoing.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR aloof ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM aloof

a·loof·ly, adverba·loof·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for aloof

They should ask themselves instead how anyone as bored and aloof as Barack Obama could bother himself to hate anything.
No Drama Obama's Israel Ambivalence|James Poulos|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A Utah mother charged with killing six of her infant children was described as cold and aloof by a neighbor.
Utah’s Murderer Mom Is a Monster but She’s Not the First|Steve Miller|April 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I can see how it would make people come across as cagey or aloof.
How One Doctor Mastered the Art of Delivering Life-Changing Diagnoses|Russell Saunders|March 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Aloof and bookish, Pius XI (Achille Ratti) spent years as a Vatican librarian before becoming a diplomat and cardinal.
How the Catholic Church Got in Bed with Mussolini|Jason Berry|February 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

With irony and wit he charmed a nation, but displayed a detachment that kept him aloof from the passions of his time.
The New New Left Is No New Frontier and JFK Was No Liberal|James L. Swanson, Michael F. Bishop|October 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He would seem to stand outside the stress of his own time and aloof from the influences which commonly shape the artist.
Studies of Contemporary Poets|Mary C. Sturgeon
The Englishman, aloof but definitely enthralled, touched his mustache delicately and answered, "Quite."
Ten From Infinity|Paul W. Fairman
I was cold, and as haughty and aloof as she was herself, but I used every art I knew of to draw her out and make her talk.
Man and Maid|Elinor Glyn
They played under a glaring electric light in the heat of the day, yet they seemed cool, aloof, immune from bodily discomfort.
Gigolo|Edna Ferber
When he had gone, Rashîd appeared before me, stern and aloof as the Recording Angel.
Oriental Encounters|Marmaduke Pickthall

British Dictionary definitions for aloof

aloof

/ (əˈluːf) /

adjective

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

Derived forms of aloof

aloofly, adverbaloofness, noun

Word Origin for aloof

C16: from a- 1 + loof, a variant of luff

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

The
2019 WORD
OF THE YEAR is...