highfalutin

adjective

ˌhī-fə-ˈlü-tᵊn How to pronounce highfalutin (audio)
variants also hifalutin
Definition of highfalutinnext
1
as in rhetorical
full of fine words and fancy expressions his highfalutin paean to the working class failed to win over a crowd that wanted to hear down-to-earth proposals for economic relief

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude her highfalutin relatives from New York made the snide remark that her little house "has that lived-in look"

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3
as in proud
having or displaying feelings of scorn for what is regarded as beneath oneself refused to be intimidated by the highfalutin manner of the sales staff in the fashionable boutique

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4
as in pretentious
self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance "fine Southern cuisine" sounds a bit highfalutin for a barbecue shack

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of highfalutin If that was too highfalutin’, slices of Domino’s pizza circulated in custom slice boxes emblazoned with its logo. — Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026 If this sounds a little highfalutin, the film manages to pull it off with its examination of trust, isolation, and instinct. — Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026 To use a highfalutin film-theory term, Reign of Fire is totally bonkers, and Bale and co-star Matthew McConaughey have a blast playing survivors waging war against the beasts. — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026 Standing 787 feet tall, the tower was one of the last of the era — when downtown Dallas’ skyline was defined by highfalutin oil execs, bankers, financiers and the architects who used steel, concrete and glass to erect opulent monuments to their economic success. — Nick Wooten, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for highfalutin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for highfalutin
  1. rhetorical
  2. arrogant
  3. proud
  4. pretentious
  5. ornate
  6. haughty
  7. high-minded
  8. cavalier
Adjective
  • Maybe that’s what tips her into some recklessness of her own, with an explanation of Hal’s forceful personality and brilliant rhetorical style as being intoxicating.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • That club includes former President Obama, whose rhetorical style has been compared to the young senator.
    — Jared Gans, The Hill, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of rhetorical
Adjective
  • Ever-sensible Elinor, who never asks for much, has already met, and fallen for, Edward Ferrars (George MacKay), Fanny’s brother, as kind and modest as Fanny is arrogant.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Hal and Kate, having misread Trowbridge’s shock and dismay at the tragic death of Austin Dennison as a worse-than-usual bit of arrogant posturing, switch to Bad Cop mode.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of arrogant
Adjective
  • The locker real estate in the team’s second arena was something the proud parent didn’t even consider as part of his son’s Heat takeover.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Musk’s forthright, crusty dad Errol sounds almost proud that something was bullied out of his son, but the movie avoids filling out that traumatic childhood.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of proud
Adjective
  • But others have slammed the effort as a pretentious and obnoxious slog.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Leigh feared the tracks might be too arch, too pretentious, too insincere.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of pretentious
Adjective
  • Next up is a house tour, from the cavernous, all-white living room to a glimpse of the ornate indoor pool, with V lamenting that the place is so huge he sometimes gets lost.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Many of its original details, from formal entry galleries and large terraces to ornate moldings and herringbone floors, remain.
    — Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of ornate
Adjective
  • Snell wanted the Dashwoods to dress as if no whole costume team is coordinating things behind them — though haughty sister-in-law Fanny (Stacy Martin) is another matter.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Hermetically sealed tableaux of haughty models daring you to look away from their perfection.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
Definition of haughty
Adjective
  • Memoirs proceeds from there with that simultaneous posture of high-minded openness and a childish giggle.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Sure, high-minded series about radical inventions and space exploration fit the brand of a sleek, cool, tech company shilling prestige TV.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of high-minded
Adjective
  • What makes this emptiness more bothersome is the cavalier way Wingard wields the imagery of rogue, militarized killers wreaking havoc on the American landscape.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Perhaps most viscerally, given the ever-present specter of nuclear annihilation during the Cold War, Capps was appalled by Falwell’s apocalyptic rhetoric and cavalier posture toward global destruction.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of cavalier

Browse Nearby Words

highest
highfalutin
highflier
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Cite this Entry

“Highfalutin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/highfalutin. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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