unapproachable

/ˈʌnəˌproʊtʃəbəl/

Other forms: unapproachably

When someone is unapproachable, you won’t feel comfortable going up to the person and starting a conversation. If a place is unapproachable, it’s really hard to get there.

You’ll notice the word approach is in unapproachable. Approach means “move toward” or “go up to.” When something or someone is unapproachable, that thing or person is hard to get close to. When a place is unapproachable, it’s probably remote or difficult to reach, like a fortress at the top of a cliff. When a person is unapproachable, he or she probably seems unfriendly.

Definitions of unapproachable

1. adjective

   discouraging intimacies; reserved
   “an unapproachable executive”

   synonyms:

   offish, standoffish

   lacking cordiality; unfriendly

   antonyms:

   approachable

   easy to meet or converse or do business with

   accessible

   easy to get along with or talk to; friendly
2. adjective

   inaccessibly located or situated
   “an unapproachable chalet high in the mountains”

   synonyms: out of reach, unreachable, unreached

   inaccessible, unaccessible

   capable of being reached only with great difficulty or not at all