unapproachable.

1. Difficult to approach or engage because of manner, status or apparent unwillingness to interact.

2. Impossible or extremely difficult to approach physically.

3. So outstanding that others cannot readily equal or approach its quality.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• unapproachable manner
• unapproachable figure

On the page

The director seemed unapproachable at the reception but answered her letter thoughtfully.

His unapproachable manner concealed uncertainty about what the visitors expected.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Comparative more unapproachable; superlative most unapproachable where gradation is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, interpretation, contrast, characterization. Disciplines: prose writing, literary analysis, advanced general English. Commonness: moderately common.