aloof
adjective · adverb
Simple meaning
Cool and distant; not friendly or involved with others.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhloofSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əˈluf
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Reserved and remote; either physically or emotionally distant; standoffish.
adverb
Without sympathy; unfavorably.
At or from a distance, but within view, or at a small distance; apart; away.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- emotionallyadverb
- sensitiveadjective
- personalitynoun
- feelingsnoun
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: reserved and remote
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.