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Timid vs Standoffish - What's the difference?

timid | standoffish |

As adjectives the difference between timid and standoffish

is that timid is timid; shy while standoffish is aloof; reserved; unsociable and unfriendly.

timid

English

Adjective

(er)
  • Lacking in courage or confidence.
  • *{{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
    • , chapter=19 citation , passage=When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. […]. The captive made no resistance and came not only quietly but in a series of eager little rushes like a timid dog on a choke chain.}}

    Synonyms

    * fearful * timorous * shy

    Antonyms

    * daredevil * dauntless * bellicose * reckless * aggressive

    Derived terms

    * timidly

    Related terms

    * timidity * timidness * intimidate * intimidation

    External links

    * * ----

    standoffish

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Aloof; reserved; unsociable and unfriendly.
  • *1899 ,
    • He was stand–offish with the other agents, and they on their side said he was the manager’s spy upon them.
  • *1922 , , Ulysses , episode 16,
  • *:His initial impression was that he was a bit standoffish or not over effusive.
  • *1928 , , Lady Chatterley's Lover , ch. 7,
  • *:They were always a haughty family, standoffish in a way, as they've a right to be.

    • Synonyms

    *cold *distant

    Related terms

    *standoffishness

    See also

    *standoff *stand off

    References

    * * * "standoffish" in Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary (Cambridge University Press, 2007) * * Oxford English Dictionary , second edition (1989) * Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary , 1987–1996.