aloof

English

Etymology

From a- + Middle English loof (="weather gage," also "windward direction"), probably from 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" ^[1]

Pronunciation

• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) IPA^(key): /əˈluːf/
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) Rhymes: -uːf

Adverb

aloof (comparative more aloof, superlative most aloof)

1. At or from a distance, but within view, or at a small distance; apart; away.
2. Without sympathy; unfavorably.

Translations

at or from a distance

• Bulgarian: настрани (bg) (nastrani), отделно (bg) (otdelno)
• Dutch: apart (nl), afstandelijk
• French: à l'écart, à distance
• Portuguese: distante (pt), alheio (pt) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: поодаль (ru) (poódalʹ), в стороне (ru) (v storoné)
• Scottish Gaelic: fad às
• Spanish: apartado (es)

without sympathy

• Dutch: afstandelijk, negatief (nl)
• French: dédaigneusement (fr)
• Italian: con distacco
• Polish: z niesmakiem
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: равнодушно (ru) (ravnodúšno), отстранённо (ru) (otstranjónno)
• Scottish Gaelic: fad às
• Spanish: sin compasión

Adjective

aloof (comparative more aloof, superlative most aloof)

1. Reserved and remote; either physically or emotionally distant; standoffish.

Translations

reserved and remote; either physically or emotionally distant

• Bulgarian: сдържан (bg) (sdǎržan), резервиран (bg) (rezerviran)
• Dutch: gereserveerd (nl), afstandelijk, terughoudend (nl)
• Finnish: etäinen, varautunut
• French: distant (fr), dédaigneux (fr), résevé
• German: distanziert, menschenscheu, zurückhaltend (de), reserviert (de)
• Italian: distaccato (it) m
• Polish: trzymający się z dala, z dystansem, z rezerwą
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: alijado (pt) m
• Russian: отчуждённый (ru) (otčuždjónnyj), стороня́щийся (storonjáščijsja), сде́ржанный (ru) (sdéržannyj) (reserved)
• Scottish Gaelic: fad às
• Spanish: alejado (es), reservado (es)
• Swedish: reserverad (sv)

See also

• See also Wikisaurus:arrogant

Preposition

aloof

1. (deprecated template usage) (obsolete) away from; clear of
   • Milton

     Rivetus […] would fain work himself aloof these rocks and quicksands.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “aloof”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)