aloof
English · Thesaurus
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aloof
- /əˈluːf/
Rhymes with -uːf
Where it comes from
From Middle English loof (“weather gage, windward direction”), probably from Middle Dutch (Compare Dutch loef (“the weather side of a ship”)), originally a nautical order to keep the ship's head to the wind, thus to stay clear of a lee-shore or some other quarter, hence the figurative sense of "at a distance, apart".
adverb more aloof · most aloof
- At or from a distance, but within view, or at a small distance; apart; away. Sisyphus also I saw, with unwelcomest taskage tormented, / Toilsomely hoisting aloof, unassisted, a ponderous round stone.
- Without sympathy; unfavorably. But to open the Bible in this spirit — to take the Book as from the hand of God, and then to look at it aloof, and with caution, as if throughout it were illusory and enigmatical, is the worst of all impieties.
adjective more aloof · most aloof
-
Either physically or emotionally remote: distant, standoffish.
None may ever hear the speech of the poets of that city, to whom the gods have spoken. It stands a city aloof. There hath been no rumour of it—I alone have dreamed of it, and I may not be sure that my dreams are true.
Similar: offish, remote, standoffish, aloof, cool, distant, frosty, hankty, hard-to-get, quiet, strange, thorny
preposition
- Away from; clear of. Rivetus […] would fain work himself aloof these rocks and quicksands.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: distant, reserved, remote, far-off, aside, away, outside, difference, deviation, variance, discrepancy, standoffish, indifferent, snooty, unsympathetic, gap
Translations
Every language
adv at or from a distance
| Español | apartado, distante |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 遠離 /远离 yuǎnlí, 避開 /避开 bìkāi |
| Português | à distância, a distância |
| Français | à l'écart, à distance |
| Deutsch | (ein Stück) entfernt, auf Abstand (etwas) |
| Română | distant, deoparte |
| Русский | поо́даль poódalʹ, в стороне́ v storoné |
| العربية | بَعِيدًا عَنّ baʕīdan ʕann, بِمَعْزِل عَن bi-maʕzil ʕan |
adv without sympathy
| Español | sin compasión, indiferente |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 冷漠地, 冷淡地 |
| Français | dédaigneusement |
| Deutsch | distanziert, auf Abstand, auf Distanz, reserviert |
| Italiano | con distacco |
| Русский | равноду́шно ravnodúšno, отстранённо otstranjónno |
adj reserved and remote; either physically or emotionally distant
| Español | alejado, reservado, distante, apartado, sobrado |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 飄々 hyōhyō, 飄飄 hyōhyō, 飄然 hyōzen, 冷然 reizen, 疎い utoi, 超然 chōzen |
| 中文 | 保守的, 疏遠的 /疏远的 |
| Português | distante, reservado, afastado |
| Français | distant, dédaigneux, réservé |
| Deutsch | distanziert, menschenscheu, zurückhaltend, reserviert, unnahbar |
| Italiano | distaccato |
| Ελληνικά | αποστασιοποιημένος apostasiopoiiménos |
| Русский | отчуждённый otčuždjónnyj, стороня́щийся storonjáščijsja, сде́ржанный sdéržannyj, отстранённый otstranjónnyj, безучастный bezučastnyj |
Talk about this word "aloof." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/aloof. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. aloof. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/aloof "aloof." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/aloof.Cite this
@misc{aloof_2026,
title = {aloof},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/aloof},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
