Synonyms

offish

American

[aw-fish, of-ish] / ˈɔ fɪʃ, ˈɒf ɪʃ /

adjective

Informal.

aloof; unapproachable; standoffish.

offish British

/ ˈɒfɪʃ /

adjective

informal aloof or distant in manner

"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

offishly adverb
offishness noun

Etymology

Origin of offish

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; off + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But the only man who takes an interest in him is an offish fellow named Fitzgerald.

From Washington Post

Within a couple of weeks of me moving in we went out for a meal, and as we came back he was basically quite offish with me, and I just didn't understand.

From BBC

As coupledom is only real if it’s Facebook offish, I decided to see what happens when I sent an “Ask” inquiry regarding my boyfriend’s empty relationship status:

From Time

It might be a new sensation to kiss Susan, always so prim and offish.

From Project Gutenberg

In a secluded portion of the wood is a large oblong pond, half-covered with dense reeds, and full offish and tortoises.

From Project Gutenberg

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