offish

[ aw-fish, of-ish ]

See synonyms for offish on Thesaurus.com

adjectiveInformal.

aloof; unapproachable; standoffish.

Origin of offish

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; off + -ish¹

Other words from offish

off·ish·ly, adverb
off·ish·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use offish in a sentence

If only it werent dung, said Effie offishly, anything but dung, I shouldnt be so particular.
The Adventures of Maya the Bee | Waldemar Bonsels
At the best, he could be stand-offishly considerate of them.
Jerry of the Islands | Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for offish

offish

/ (ˈɒfɪʃ) /

adjective

informal aloof or distant in manner

Derived forms of offish

offishly, adverb
offishness, noun

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

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