aloof
Meaning
-
- At or from a distance, but within view, or at a small distance; apart; away.
- Without sympathy; unfavorably.
Synonyms
further off
arm’s length
repudiative
difficult to overcome
severaly
Frequency
Pronounced as (IPA)
/əˈluːf/
Etymology
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".
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Notes