Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use aloof in a sentence

18 example sentences · adverb, adjective, preposition

Aloof means at or from a distance, but within view, or at a small distance; apart; away. Example: “His severe depersonalization causes an aloof demeanor.”

Examples of aloof by meaning

adjectiveEither physically or emotionally remote: distant, standoffish.

  • It stands a city aloof.1906, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], Time and the Gods, London: William Heineman, →OCLC, page 3

More sentences with aloof

  • His severe depersonalization causes an aloof demeanor.From the entry depersonalization
  • She tried to remain aloof from courtly intrigues.From the entry courtly
  • She seemed unapproachably cold and aloof.From the entry unapproachably
  • So much 'performance art' tends to be a kind of closed, aloof, imagistic, private vision.1988 January 29, Justin Hayford, “Stage Business: a young director mixes it up at the Goodman”, in Chicago Reader. From the entry imagistic
  • Always a little aloof, I pursued a solitary course of experimentation; first I tried Peroxide—old Mrs.1946, Kenneth Patchen, Sleepers Awake (ND Paperbook 286), New York, N.Y.: New Directions Publishing Corporation, published 1969, →LCCN…. From the entry baking-powder
  • The medium was leaning with her elbow on the mantel piece, austere and aloof.1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html)…. From the entry mantelpiece
  • He would have sprung upon Captain Blood, who stood aloof, alert, tight-lipped, and watchful.1922, Rafael Sabatini, Captain Blood: His Odyssy, chapter XXV. From the entry tight-lipped
  • To just walk away, cool and aloof.2014, David Nicholls, Us, Harper Collins, →ISBN, page 45. From the entry French exit
  • He lives somewhat aloof, and not utterly malicious against you.'2011, Helen Castor, Blood and Roses. From the entry friendlihood
  • Aloof and passive fans kill their darlings.2008 January 20, Virginia Heffernan, “Art in the Age of Franchising”, in New York Times. From the entry kill one's darlings
  • Furthermore, Ray, the musical leader, was frequently aloof, moody, or just reticent, hardly qualities of a solid road captain.2008, Thomas M. Kitts, Ray Davies: Not Like Everybody Else, →ISBN, page 57. From the entry road captain
  • At first she was the aloof, mysterious beauty of the courtly love tradition, later the magnificent unattainable Virgin, Gloriana.2003, David Loades, “The Great Queen”, in Elizabeth I, Hambledon and London, →ISBN, page 312. From the entry Gloriana
  • Arrogant, aloof, and suspicious, a “sundowner,” or strict disciplinarian, King inspired respect in many but affection in few.1985, Ronald H. Spector, Eagle Against the Sun. From the entry sundowner
  • That court would sedulously avoid meeting contentious issues and would sit in resplendent dignity aloof from the issues of the day.1980, William O. Douglas, The Court Years 1939-1972. From the entry sedulously
  • Everest remained a challenge: aloof, inviolate, murderous.1953, 5:41 from the start, in The Conquest of Everest, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 Jul 2020. From the entry Everest
  • In this person's freehanded reinterpretation, we're encouraged to visualize the father as an aloof family patriarch who thoughtlessly drives his younger son away by neglect.2010, John MacArthur, The Prodigal Son: The Inside Story of a Father, His Sons, and a Shocking Murder, →ISBN, page 202. From the entry freehanded
  • This was nothing to the consternation, almost disintegration of the personality, of the artistic, aloof actor brought on as 'Rolf Fiennes' ('Fiennes', naturally, pronounced superbly).1998 The Spectator, 7 March 1998, page 55 ("Dear Mary..."). From the entry ralph

Meaning of aloof

  1. adverb At or from a distance, but within view, or at a small distance; apart; away.
  2. adverb Without sympathy; unfavorably.
  3. adjective Either physically or emotionally remote: distant, standoffish.

Full definition of aloof

Questions about aloof in a sentence

How do you use aloof in a sentence?
Aloof is used as an adverb, adjective and preposition. For example: “His severe depersonalization causes an aloof demeanor.”
What is a short sentence with aloof?
“It stands a city aloof.”
What does aloof mean?
Aloof means at or from a distance, but within view, or at a small distance; apart; away.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: aloof (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use aloof in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/aloof. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.