From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishaloofa‧loof /əˈluːf/ adjective, adverb 1 UNFRIENDLYunfriendly and deliberately not talking to other peopleremain/stay aloof (from somebody) They worked hard, but tended to stay aloof from the local inhabitants.keep/hold yourself aloof (from somebody) She had always kept herself aloof from the boys in class. Beneath that aloof exterior, Gayle is a warm, sympathetic person.► see thesaurus at unfriendly2 deliberately not becoming involved in somethingremain/stand aloof (from something) Initially, the President remained aloof from the campaign.hold/keep (yourself) aloof from something The doctor held himself somewhat aloof from the rest of the ship’s crew. —aloofness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
aloof• She was polite but aloof.• Barbara remained aloof behind the barrier of her menu.• The organization is controlled by aloof intellectuals who do not take an interest in the ordinary members.keep/hold yourself aloof (from somebody)• She believed in holding herself aloof.remain/stand aloof (from something)• He preferred to remain aloof, an invisible presence worshipped from afar.• Some researchers feel it is important to let others generate enthusiasm for their ideas so that they remain aloof and objective.• Barbara remains aloof behind the barrier of her menu.• Fanshawe remained aloof from all that, quietly standing in his corner, paying no attention.• They remained aloof from the front row out of disdain and from the back row out of a sense of responsibility.• Does this show that the father would not be neutral if he remained aloof from the quarrel?• They should neither remain aloof from what goes on in life, nor should they spend all their time solving industrial problems.Origin aloof (1500-1600) aloof “to windward” ((16-18 centuries)), from loof “direction against the wind” ((13-19 centuries)), from Dutch loef 